Seoul Presale Sells Out at 2.76 Billion Won as Subscriptions Surge

* Editor's note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an "AI-based personalized news recommendation and summarization service" developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six customized news items by reader type.

[[LINK_0]]1. Noryangjin and Jangwi New Town Subscriptions Succeed Despite High-Price Controversy[[/LINK_0]]

- Key Summary: Seoul's Noryangjin New Town 'Depine Artia' recorded an average competition ratio of 16.5-to-1 in first-priority subscriptions. A total of 1,437 applications were submitted for 87 units, with the 59㎡A exclusive-area type posting the highest ratio at 50.1-to-1. Despite the top sale price for the 84㎡ exclusive-area type reaching 2.76 billion won, the complex drew demand thanks to its proximity to Jangseungbaegi Station on Line 7 and its status as the first complex south of the Han River to feature SK Ecoplant's high-end brand 'Depine.' 'Jangwi Prugio Mark One,' which also opened subscriptions the same day, drew 4,873 applications for 510 units, recording an average of 9.55-to-1, with the top sale price for the 84㎡ exclusive-area type set at 1.765 billion won.

[[LINK_1]]2. "Small Apartment Auction Market Overheating... Take a Selective Approach Rather Than Chasing Prices"[[/LINK_1]]

- Key Summary: Lee Ju-hyun, a senior researcher at GG Auction, warned of the recent overheating in the small apartment auction market and stressed a selective approach at the 'Seoul Economic Daily Money Trend 2026' event held on the 1st. The winning-bid ratio for small Seoul apartments reached 107.0% in the second quarter this year, with overheating especially pronounced in prime areas such as Mapo-gu at 171.5% and Seongdong-gu at 138.4%. Lee explained that small apartments tend to rise first in a bull market but also fall first during corrections. He advised participating in the auction market only after comprehensively confirming whether transaction volume is maintained, whether jeonse demand is steady, and whether development catalysts such as transit or reconstruction exist.

[[LINK_2]]3. Shift to Monthly Rent Accelerates... Jeonse Loans at Five Major Banks Turn to Decline[[/LINK_2]]

- Key Summary: The outstanding jeonse loans at the five major banks (KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori, NH Nonghyup) stood at 121.1849 trillion won at the end of June this year, down 1.4649 trillion won from 122.6498 trillion won at the end of last year. This resulted from a contraction in new jeonse loan demand as rising jeonse prices due to shrinking supply, high interest rates, and tighter household loan management converged. According to KB Real Estate, as of the 15th of last month, Seoul apartment jeonse prices rose 1.43% from the previous month, marking the highest increase this year. Meanwhile, in jeonse and monthly-rent transactions from January to May this year, the share of monthly rent rose 7.6 percentage points from a year earlier to 68.6%, and Seoul's monthly rent share climbed to 69.9%.

[[LINK_3]]4. "Special Supply in Third-Phase New Towns Is an Opportunity... Funding Plans Matter for Redevelopment Projects"[[/LINK_3]]

- Key Summary: Park Ji-min, head of the Wolyong Subscription Research Institute, diagnosed at the 'Seoul Economic Daily Money Trend 2026' event held on the 1st that the current subscription market has become harder for genuine buyers to navigate as institutional changes and high sale prices converge. Recently, the scope of special supply has expanded, including eased eligibility for newlywed special supply, revival of childbirth-special-case special supply, and relaxation of the multi-child special supply standard from three children to two or more. Park said that in third-phase new towns, where the public ratio is higher than private, having newborn or newlywed special-supply eligibility is highly advantageous, and recommended examining in advance the location and requirements of each new town such as Goyang Changneung, Namyangju Wangsuk, Hanam Gyosan, and Incheon Gyeyang. She also stressed that in Seoul redevelopment projects, general sale units account for only around 20% of the total, so whether loans are available under the 1.5 billion won sale-price threshold and the choice of housing type determine the chances of winning.

- Key Summary: In the Seoul foreign exchange market on the 1st, the won-dollar exchange rate closed at 1,554.9 won, up 5.5 won from the previous day's daytime close, marking the highest level since March 2009. During the session, it surged to 1,559.2 won, threatening the 1,560 won mark. Amid persistent dollar strength on expectations of a rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve, the won moved in tandem toward weakness as the yen-dollar rate soared to 162.837 yen, the highest since December 1986. In addition, foreign investors net-sold 1.7 trillion won on the stock market, marking nine consecutive trading days of net selling, which also contributed to the exchange rate's rise.

- Key Summary: HDC Hyundai Development's high-end wellness residential product 'Park Roche Seoul One' completed its sales with an average subscription competition ratio of 5.8-to-1. A total of 4,469 applications were submitted for 768 units, with the 70㎡ Group 2 drawing 739 applications for 36 units to record a high of 20.5-to-1. The complex will be built with two buildings ranging from three basement floors to 49 above-ground floors, comprising a total of 768 units with exclusive areas of 70–80㎡, and provides hotel-style concierge services, gourmet Galleria dining services, and medical support services linked with Asan Medical Center and Nowon Eulji University Hospital, with no age restrictions. Winners will be announced on the 3rd, formal contracts will be signed on the 7th–9th, and move-in is scheduled for July 2028.