Private Apartment General Subscription Supply Hits 15-Year Low at Start of Year

Only 151 Units Supplied in Seoul

This year, during January and February, the number of private apartment units available for general subscription across the country fell to the lowest level in 15 years.

Yonhap News

According to an analysis by the real estate research firm RealToday of data from the Korea Real Estate Board's Cheongyak Home, there were a total of 3,910 private apartment units available for general subscription (based on first-priority applications) nationwide during January and February 2026. This represents a decrease of approximately 27.8% compared to 5,416 units during the same period last year.

Since the start of subscription data tracking in 2010, this is the second lowest figure on record, following 3,864 units in 2011. In particular, compared to January and February 2024, when 17,580 units were supplied and the pre-sale market was buoyant, this marks a sharp decline of 77.8%.

The sharp drop in supply at the beginning of the year is attributed to rising construction costs and market uncertainty. It is explained that construction companies, rather than pushing ahead with pre-sales, have focused on carefully reviewing the business viability and adjusting the timing of supply, which has resulted in reduced volume.

By region, Seoul saw only 151 units supplied, indicating a severe shortage. Gyeonggi Province accounted for 1,812 units, or 46.3% of the nationwide total, followed by Incheon (656 units), Daejeon (341 units), and Busan (304 units).

In contrast, in some regional areas such as Daegu, Sejong, Gangwon, North Gyeongsang, South Chungcheong, and North Chungcheong, there were no private apartment subscription schedules at all during January and February.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.