Seoul’s Overall Increase Accelerates, While High-Price Areas Decline
The Korea Real Estate Board registered its weekly apartment price trends as of August 24, 2026, on August 27. Seoul apartment sale prices rose 0.29% from the previous week. Compared with the previous week’s 0.22% increase, the rate of increase expanded by 0.07 percentage points.
However, trends varied across Seoul. Gangnam District fell 0.11% and Seocho District fell 0.05%, reportedly marking three consecutive weeks of decline.
Seoul’s overall rate suggests a rising market, but high-price areas and outlying districts moved in opposite directions.
Nowon·Dobong·Gangbuk and Southern Gyeonggi Post Strong Gains
Among Seoul’s outlying districts, Jungnang District rose 0.56%, while Seongbuk and Gangbuk districts each rose 0.55%. Dobong and Nowon districts also each posted a 0.54% increase.
Apartment prices in Gyeonggi Province rose 0.23%. Reported rates for major areas included 0.75% in Suwon’s Yeongtong District, 0.66% in Yongin’s Suji District, 0.63% in Yongin’s Giheung District, and 0.54% in Hwaseong’s Dongtan District.
| Area | Change in the Fourth Week of August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Seoul overall | +0.29% |
| Gangnam District | -0.11% |
| Seocho District | -0.05% |
| Jungnang District | +0.56% |
| Seongbuk and Gangbuk districts | +0.55% each |
| Dobong and Nowon districts | +0.54% each |
| Gyeonggi Province | +0.23% |
| Suwon Yeongtong District | +0.75% |
| Yongin Suji District | +0.66% |
| Yongin Giheung District | +0.63% |
| Hwaseong Dongtan District | +0.54% |
Distinguish Explanations of Causes from Policy Announcements
A Korea Real Estate Board official was reported as explaining that cautious buyer sentiment due to tax burdens and listings subject to price adjustments had emerged in high-priced complexes, while demand from end users and homeowners seeking to move was concentrated in lower- and mid-priced areas and locations near stations on Seoul’s outskirts to avoid lending restrictions and tax burdens. This is an institutional official’s market analysis and cannot be treated as the single, confirmed cause of this price movement.
On August 13, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced measures for the rapid supply of housing, including more than 230,000 additional homes in the Seoul metropolitan area, initiatives to accelerate housing supply, and stronger financial support for genuine housing demand, including young people. However, no causal relationship has been confirmed between this policy announcement and price trends in the fourth week of August; what can currently be confirmed is only their temporal sequence.
Points to Check When Reading the Figures
- The weekly price index is not the same indicator as the actual transaction price of an individual apartment.
- Expressions such as “the biggest surge in 14 years” or “an increase of KRW 150 million at once” emphasize individual areas or transactions in news coverage and cannot be generalized as the average increase across Seoul or the metropolitan area.
- This data describes weekly trends at a specific point in time and is not investment information that guarantees future prices or returns.