The number of homes owned by foreign nationals in South Korea exceeded 100,000 for the first time in 2024, with Chinese nationals accounting for more than half of the total, government data showed.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, foreign ownership reached 100,216 housing units as of the end of December 2024, an increase of 5.4 percent from six months earlier.
Foreign-owned homes now represent 0.52 percent of all registered housing units in the country.
A total of 98,581 foreign nationals own homes in Korea. By nationality, Chinese citizens accounted for the largest share, owning 56,301 units, or 56 percent of the total. Americans followed with 22,031 units (21.9 percent), and Canadians held 6,315 units (6.3 percent).
The majority of these properties are concentrated in the metropolitan area. Gyeonggi Province led with 39.1 percent of foreign-owned homes, followed by Seoul and Incheon.
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