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[BUSINESS] · South Korea · 4 sources

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Part of situation: Global and South Korean wealth inequality trends (3 clusters)

South Korea asset gap reaches record high as housing inequality widens

asset inequality housing market South Korea economy wealth gap KOSIS

Data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) reveals that the gap in average residential housing prices between the top 20% and bottom 20% of households in South Korea reached a record 290.1 times last year. This marks the largest disparity since data collection began in 2017.

The bottom 20% of households saw their average residential housing price drop by 9.1% to 2.39 million won, with a homeownership rate of only 6.6%. In contrast, the top 20% saw their average residential housing price rise by 7.7% to 693.41 million won, supported by a homeownership rate of 82.5%.

While income inequality has shown signs of narrowing—with the gap in disposable income falling to 9.8 times compared to previous levels of 11–12 times—overall asset inequality has surged. The total asset gap between the top and bottom quintiles reached 68.6 times, surpassing the previous record set in 2022.

Experts suggest that the concentration of approximately 70% of household assets in real estate exacerbates these disparities. Recommendations include expanding public housing for youth and newlyweds, and reforming property taxes to focus on asset value rather than the number of properties owned.

Entities

KOSIS · Kim Kwang-seok · Korea Economic Industry Institute · Lee Sun-hwa · South Korea

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Sources

부자와 빈자의 집값 차이 290배…주택 자산 양극화 역대 최대 - 진일보 | 전남일보 [www.jnilbo.com]
하위 20% 자가 거주율 6.6%…상·하위 집값 격차 290배 - 시사저널 [www.sisajournal.com]
소득 격차 줄어도 집값은 딴판…상·하위 20% 격차 290배 [biz.heraldcorp.com]
7억원 vs 239만원… 자산 상·하위 20% 집값 격차 290배 ‘역대 최대’ [www.seoul.co.kr]