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Homeownership in South Korea: Examining Sector Underdevelopment

Author

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  • Richard Ronald

    (Urban Studies, the Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, 1018 VZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands, r.ronald@tudelft.nl, OTB Research Institute, TU Delft, The Netherlands, Department of Housing & Interior Design, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea)

  • Mee-Youn Jin

    (Land and Housing Research Institute, LH (Korea Land and Housing Corporation), Seoung-Nam, Gyonggi-do, South Korea, myjin@lh.or.kr)

Abstract

Despite government emphasis on home purchase and four decades of extensive house building, levels of owner-occupation in South Korea remain relatively modest. This paper examines Korean homeownership policy development, identifying key reasons for the limited growth: the underdevelopment of housing finance; unproductive government intervention on property speculation; ineffective tax support for low-income home purchase; and the structure of the rental sector. Korean housing policy is characteristically supply driven, which has expanded housing stock but distorted distribution, increased speculation and polarised housing wealth. This paper considers the underdevelopment of demand-side policies as the underlying failure in the sustainable and equitable expansion of homeownership. It also implicates housing more centrally in East Asian policy regime divergence.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Ronald & Mee-Youn Jin, 2010. "Homeownership in South Korea: Examining Sector Underdevelopment," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(11), pages 2367-2388, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:47:y:2010:i:11:p:2367-2388
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098009357967
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Kim, Kyung-Hwan, 1993. "Housing Prices, Affordability, and Government Policy in Korea," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 55-71, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hyung Min Kim, 2017. "Ethnic connections, foreign housing investment and locality: a case study of Seoul," European Journal of Housing Policy, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 17(1), pages 120-144, January.

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