Goyang tops list of Gyeonggi Province destinations for Seoul residents priced out of capital

The exodus of Seoul residents seeking more affordable housing continues, with key cities in Gyeonggi Province emerging as preferred alternatives as expanded rail networks improve access to the capital.

An analysis of Statistics Korea's domestic migration data for 2023–2025, released Sunday by real estate research firm RealToday, found that about 1.4 million people — 1,399,645 in total — left Seoul for other regions over the three-year period. Gyeonggi Province absorbed the largest share at 846,321 people, followed by Incheon at 137,373.

Gyeonggi Province accounted for 60.46 percent of all outmigrants from Seoul. Housing was the most commonly cited reason for the move at 32.64 percent, followed by family reasons at 30.48 percent and employment at 20.11 percent.

Among Gyeonggi cities, Goyang received the most Seoul arrivals at 89,081, followed by Seongnam at 67,567, Yongin at 60,071, Namyangju at 57,667 and Suwon at 49,875. All five cities offer strong access to Seoul and stand to benefit from planned infrastructure upgrades, including the Greater Seoul Express Railway, known as GTX.

Construction companies are responding by launching pre-sales in metropolitan-area cities with improving Seoul connectivity. Seohan plans to open pre-sales this month for Namyangju Jinjeop Seohan Idaeum, a new complex in the S-1 block of the Jinjeop 2 district in Namyangju. The project is positioned to benefit from the planned GTX-B line, an extension of subway Line 4 to Pungyang Station, and the Gangdong-Hanam-Namyangju line, an extension of Line 9.

Lotte Engineering & Construction will also launch pre-sales this month for Sangdong-yeok Lotte Castle Signature in the Sangdong area of Wonmi-gu, Bucheon. The large-scale complex comprises seven buildings ranging from eight basement floors to 49 above-ground floors, with 1,859 units sized between 84 and 192 square meters of exclusive use area. Located directly above Sangdong Station on subway Line 7, the development is also near the planned GTX-B route and is surrounded by major retail facilities including Hyundai Department Store, Lotte Department Store, E-mart and NewCore Outlet.

SK Ecoplant plans to launch pre-sales this month for Uiwang-yeok SK View in Samdong, Uiwang. Of the total 1,857 units, 820 will be offered in a general pre-sale. The transit-oriented complex sits directly in front of Uiwang Station on Line 1, and once the GTX-C line opens, residents will be able to reach Samsung Station in Seoul in about 20 minutes. Access to Seoul and the broader metropolitan area is also available via the Bugok and Woram interchanges.