Business · Markets · 4 hrs ago
Nearly 82% of Dongdaemun apartment sales matched or beat previous highs
Dongdaemun had the highest share of record-level apartment sales among Seoul’s districts in the third quarter, at 81.9%.
Across Seoul, 54.7% of apartment sales matched or exceeded previous highs, up from 38.2% in the first quarter.
Apartment sales fell while prices kept rising: Seoul recorded 2,944 sales in September, 66% fewer than a year earlier, while prices had risen for 87 straight weeks through early October.
Experts say buyers worried about housing supply, rising rents and possible tighter loan rules are seeking homes they can afford in areas with good access to central Seoul.
Demand has shifted toward districts such as Dongdaemun, Seodaemun and Seongbuk, where some 84-square-metre apartments sold for more than 20 billion won.
Experts expect price rises could spread to more outer Seoul districts if the government does not take stronger action, though this is a forecast, not a certainty.
About 81.9% of apartments sold in Seoul’s Dongdaemun district in the third quarter matched or exceeded their previous peak prices.
The figure was the highest among Seoul’s 25 districts, according to an analysis by property platform Jikbang.
Across Seoul, 54.7% of apartment sales in the quarter matched or exceeded previous highs.
The share of such sales in Dongdaemun rose from 45.7% in the first quarter to 81.9% in the third quarter.
Experts attributed the trend to buyers seeking homes amid lending restrictions, limited supply and concerns about the rental market.
- Who
- Apartment buyers in Seoul, particularly in Dongdaemun district.
- What
- 81.9% of Dongdaemun apartment sales in the third quarter matched or exceeded previous highs.
- When
- The third quarter; the article was published on October 16, 2026.
- Where
- Dongdaemun district, Seoul, South Korea.
- Why
- Experts cited buyer concerns about tighter lending rules, limited housing supply and rental-market conditions.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Dongdaemun’s share of apartment sales matching or exceeding previous highs was 45.7%.
The share in Dongdaemun reached 81.9%, the highest among Seoul’s 25 districts.
Jikbang’s Kim Eun-sun discussed the factors behind buyer demand in a phone interview.
Donga Ilbo published the article.
- Dongdaemun, third quarter
- 81.9% of sales matched or exceeded previous highs
- Dongdaemun, first quarter
- 45.7% of sales matched or exceeded previous highs
- Seoul, third quarter
- 5,977 of 10,930 sales, or 54.7%, matched or exceeded previous highs
- Seoul apartment price trend
- Prices rose for 87 consecutive weeks through the first week of October
- Seoul apartment sales, September
- 2,944 reported sales, down 66% from 8,665 in the same period a year earlier
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