South Korea launches national real‑estate debate on taxes, supply and rentals

From 14 to 16 July the South Korean government held three department‑led public talks on housing supply, finance and taxation, followed by a presidentially chaired national debate on 23 July. The sessions will review a year of policies that include stricter mortgage limits, a goal to deliver 270 000 new homes in the Seoul metropolitan area by 2030, and proposals to reform ownership and transaction taxes. Officials said the agenda will address how to adjust property‑ownership taxes, whether to lower transaction taxes, how to make supply plans credible, how to target real‑demand borrowers under loan caps, and ways to calm rising rent and lease‑price inflation. Public sentiment has turned skeptical, with recent polls showing 46 % view the government’s housing policy as “wrong”. The OECD’s 2026 Korea report, urging a shift toward higher ownership‑tax shares, is also cited as a backdrop for the tax reforms. The outcome of the debates is expected to shape South Korea’s housing market and fiscal policy for the coming year.