South Korea is seeing a sharp increase in home purchases by minors, raising questions about family wealth transfers and the origins of funds used to buy property in one of the world’s most expensive housing markets. More than half of the money minors reported using for purchases this year came from their own assets, including bank deposits and proceeds from stock and bond sales, according to government data released October 23.
As of August 31, minors ages 19 and younger had purchased 66 homes nationwide in 2026, nearly 1.8 times the 37 transactions recorded in all of 2025, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport provided to Hwang Hee, a Democratic Party lawmaker on the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee.
The total value of this year’s purchases reached approximately $16.1 million, up 9.5% from about $14.7 million in 2025. Buyers reported using approximately $9.1 million in personal funds, accounting for 56.7% of the total. That translates to an average purchase price of roughly $245,000 per home, with about $139,000 coming from buyers’ own reported assets.
Regional figures showed significant variation. In South Gyeongsang Province, one transaction worth approximately $482,000 was reported as being financed entirely with the buyer’s own funds. In Busan, a single purchase valued at about $584,000 was also reported as 100% self-funded.
Gyeonggi Province recorded 11 transactions totaling approximately $1.92 million, with personal funds accounting for 73.9% of the purchase value. Seoul, which accounted for the largest share of transactions and spending, recorded 53 purchases worth approximately $61.7 million. Personal funds represented 49.4% of the total in the capital. No transactions were reported in the remaining regions through the end of August.
Within Seoul, Jongno and Geumcheon districts each reported a single transaction in which the buyer’s funds covered the entire purchase price. The properties were valued at approximately $420,000 and $204,000, respectively.
Seodaemun district reported a personal-funding ratio of 91.6% across three transactions worth approximately $767,000. Other districts where personal funds accounted for more than half of purchase values included Gwanak, Seongdong, Dongjak, Seongbuk and Yeongdeungpo.
Over the period from 2021 through August 2026, minors purchased 1,541 homes nationwide, with a combined value of approximately $238 million. Their reported personal funds totaled about $98.4 million, representing 41.3% of the aggregate purchase value.
Hwang warned that expensive property purchases under the names of minors and young children who lack the means to support themselves could involve disguised gifts, including transfers routed through reported bank deposits or proceeds from stock sales, as well as the potential misuse of corporate funds.
He urged the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the National Tax Service and other relevant agencies to scrutinize funding plans submitted by minor homebuyers and refer suspected tax evasion cases to the tax authorities for appropriate action.
The figures do not establish that the transactions involved illegal transfers or tax evasion. However, the growing number of purchases by minors is likely to intensify scrutiny of how young buyers finance property acquisitions in South Korea’s high-priced housing market.
