Over 140,000 vacant homes nationwide; 7 in 10 in southern regions, lawmaker says

The number of vacant homes across South Korea has surpassed 140,000 this year, with seven in 10 concentrated in southern regions, amid calls to increase national funding to promote the reuse of such properties.

According to data submitted to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jong-yang by the Korea Real Estate Board, the total number of vacant homes nationwide stood at 140,971 in 2026, up 6,962 units, or 5.2 percent, from 134,009 in 2025.

Of the total, 83,169 vacant homes — 59.0 percent — were in rural and fishing areas, while 57,802 units (41.0 percent) were in urban areas. Some 59,098 units, or 71.1 percent of all rural vacant homes, were concentrated in four southern provinces: South Jeolla Province (15,930 units), North Gyeongsang Province (15,394), North Jeolla Province (14,891) and South Gyeongsang Province (12,883).

In several regional municipalities, rural vacant homes accounted for more than 80 percent of all vacant properties within their boundaries — Sejong led at 99.9 percent, followed by South Chungcheong Province (88.6 percent), North Gyeongsang Province (84.8 percent), North Chungcheong Province (82.8 percent), South Jeolla Province (81.6 percent), South Gyeongsang Province (81.4 percent) and North Jeolla Province (76.4 percent). South Chungcheong Province saw a particularly sharp surge, with rural vacant homes jumping 42.1 percent in a single year — from 5,767 units in 2025 to 8,196 in 2026 — while North Jeolla Province recorded a 13.2 percent increase.

Looking at net changes in rural vacant homes between 2025 and 2026, South Chungcheong Province (+2,429 units), North Gyeongsang Province (+2,277) and North Jeolla Province (+1,736) each added more than 1,000 units, driving the overall increase nationwide.

By contrast, six municipalities saw their rural vacant home counts decline: Gyeonggi Province (-1,228 units), South Jeolla Province (-295), Gangwon Province (-194), Jeju (-162), Ulsan (-98) and Daejeon (-57).

"Leaving vacant homes to deteriorate goes beyond a simple housing issue — as the 'broken windows theory' illustrates, it triggers safety hazards, worsens living conditions across entire villages and accelerates population outflow, serving as a warning sign of regional extinction," Kim said. "The fragmented management systems spread across different ministries must be unified into a pan-government integrated vacant-home management system."

Kim also called for a significant expansion of incentives — including demolition cost support and tax benefits — for owners unable to tear down their properties on their own, as well as for abandoned homes with unclear ownership. He urged the government to boldly increase nationally funded programs that allow vacant homes to be renovated and repurposed as rental housing for returning farmers and rural migrants, accommodation for foreign workers, shared village parking lots, rest areas and cultural spaces.