LH to hold housing purchase briefing as Aug. 13 measures take effect

Korea Land and Housing Corporation said Monday it will hold a "second-half 2026 housing purchase project briefing" at its Gyeonggi South regional headquarters on Tuesday, formally rolling out improvements to its purchase-rental housing program under the government's Aug. 13 housing measures.

The briefing is designed to publicize newly introduced changes to the purchase-rental housing program stemming from the Aug. 13 measures and encourage participation from construction companies, developers, financial institutions and other interested parties. The session will cover four areas: improvements to the new-build purchase agreement system, key design review points and proposed floor plans, financial support for new-build purchases, and improvements to the existing housing purchase system.

LH said it will use the briefing to explain in detail the revised pricing method for new-build purchases announced under the Aug. 13 measures. Under the new framework, LH will apply the comparable transaction method as the default for pricing new-build purchases, while also allowing the cost-based method — which can reflect rising construction costs — in regulated zones in the greater Seoul metropolitan area to encourage earlier ground-breaking.

The session will walk participants through the specifics of the cost-based parallel approach, including the additional price recognition range for new-build purchases, a comparison with the existing appraisal method, the scope of regulated zones where it applies, and key points to note.

The briefing will also introduce the previously launched program for simplified new-build purchase applications and advance location screening. Rolled out as part of the Aug. 13 measures' push to diversify purchase-rental housing, the program allows applicants to submit an abbreviated business plan without architectural drawings, significantly lowering the barrier to entry.

LH will additionally explain new measures aimed at securing more housing supply and expanding purchases targeted at younger residents. The requirement to secure 100 percent ownership or appraisal consent for land at the time of application has been lowered to 75 percent to ease the initial burden, and for state- or publicly owned land, applicants will be able to apply with only documentation confirming the land is available for sale.

The passing threshold for document screening has also been eased from 70 to 65 points out of 100, and a new bonus score has been introduced for properties near universities — 5 points in general and 10 points under the youth-focused category — to help expand the volume of housing purchased for young residents.

The event is expected to draw strong interest, following the first-half briefing held in April, which attracted more than 2,000 visitors from private developers and the financial sector.

"We want to make the effects of the government's Aug. 13 measures visible as early as possible by widely publicizing the program improvements, boosting private-sector participation and accelerating the pace of supply," LH President Lee Seong-hun said. "We will deliver more high-quality housing in urban areas, faster, to ease the housing burden on low-income residents without homes."