Seoul City to Recruit Additional 'Global Real Estate Agencies' with Foreign Language Skills

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 30th that it will recruit additional 'Global Real Estate Brokerage Offices' that support foreign language communication to help foreigners residing in Seoul avoid difficulties in real estate transactions such as sales and leases, until the 10th of next month.

Any licensed real estate agent operating a brokerage business in the Seoul area can apply. However, those who have been fined or administratively sanctioned for violating the 'Licensed Real Estate Agents Act' within the past year are excluded.

Applicants must submit their application forms to the relevant district office in charge of their location. However, after designation, offices that close temporarily or permanently, relocate to another city or province, or receive administrative sanctions for legal violations will have their designation revoked. The city plans to designate offices by the end of October after document screening and face-to-face interviews to verify language proficiency.

Designated offices will receive a certificate of designation and promotional logos. They will be promoted on the Seoul Foreigners Portal, Seoul Real Estate Information Plaza, the websites of 25 autonomous districts, and various embassies. For foreigners who speak languages not supported by the Global Real Estate Brokerage Offices, support will be provided in connection with the Seoul Foreign Resident Support Center.

Currently, there are a total of 239 Global Real Estate Brokerage Offices operating in Seoul. English is supported at 183 offices, Japanese at 42, Chinese at 11, and Spanish and other languages at 3 offices. By district, Yongsan-gu has 52 offices, Seocho-gu 28, Gangnam-gu 27, and Mapo-gu 21, in that order.