Economy

Why Korea’s Housing Policies Preserve the Bubble

South Korea’s real estate boom built a nation on belief, turning apartments into currency and housing into ideology. What began as housing policy evolved into an economy of leverage and faith, where stability preserves imbalance and prosperity hides erosion.

16 min read

The End of the Housing Era in South Korea

South Korea’s housing market — once the cornerstone of economic stability — has become the clearest mirror of inequality. From the unraveling jeonse system to Seoul’s relentless apartment boom, rising prices reflect not growth but distortion.

9 min read

Debt, Demographics, and Divergence: Why Korea Risks a Split Housing Economy

Korea’s households carry one of the heaviest debt loads in the OECD, with most mortgages tied to floating rates. That fragility makes the economy hypersensitive to policy shifts and sustains property speculation even as consumption weakens and provincial vacancies mount.

3 min read

Independence or Privilege? Inside the Battle Over Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service Reform

The Financial Supervisory Service has sweeping powers over banks, insurers, and securities firms—but little structural responsibility when scandals erupt. The government’s reform plan seeks to fix this imbalance, sparking fierce resistance from within.

9 min read

Beyond the Budget: Inside Korea’s Concentrated Fiscal Power

The Ministry of Economy and Finance dominates South Korea’s budgets, from constitutional clauses limiting parliament to fiscal statistics that shape public debate.

9 min read

Foreign Buyers in Korea Now Face Residency Mandates and Stricter Oversight

To counter speculative housing purchases, Korea enforces permits and live-in requirements for overseas buyers in key metropolitan areas.

6 min read

Post-Consumption Society: The End of Growth as We Knew It

As South Korea’s population contracts, so does its consumer economy. Retail turnover has stagnated, discretionary sectors are shrinking, and the policy toolkit is proving ineffective.

10 min read

How Media Fuels Korea’s Real Estate Frenzy

From click-driven panic to political blame games, Korean real estate journalism plays an active role in fueling the very bubbles it laments.

9 min read

KOSPI Eyes 3,000 as Rate Divergence with U.S. Grows

Foreign capital inflows and liquidity hopes are pushing Korean stocks higher, but structural economic weaknesses and a growing U.S.-Korea interest rate gap cast doubt on market sustainability.

3 min read

The Quiet Death of Korea’s Local Economies

Korea’s self-employed are disappearing — not from laziness or lack of innovation, but from operating in a system designed to make survival improbable. Without bold structural reform, small businesses will remain the shock absorbers of economic failure, not beneficiaries of national growth.

7 min read

Managing Household Debt in South Korea Through the Third-Phase DSR Policy

The third-phase Stress Debt Service Ratio (DSR) policy, effective July 1, 2025, seeks to curb South Korea's escalating household debt by tightening lending conditions.

6 min read

Why Korea’s Fiscal Stimulus No Longer Works—and What to Do Next

Public spending is no longer enough. South Korea’s economy needs fiscal architecture built for velocity, retention, and systemic flow.

7 min read