Weekly housing stats dilemma: Public wants data published, experts want it revised

A sharp divide has emerged between experts and the general public over whether to overhaul the Korea Real Estate Board's weekly apartment price survey, with the government saying it will gather additional input before finalizing any reform.

Kim Young-guk, director general of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's housing and land bureau, told a National Assembly audit of the ministry's affiliated agencies on Thursday that experts and ordinary citizens are pulling in opposite directions. "Experts largely favor revising the weekly statistics, citing statistical limitations and sampling errors, while the general public and licensed real estate agents want the data to keep being published as a source of on-the-ground market information," Kim said, responding to a question from Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Yong-seon about plans to reform the weekly figures.

Kim added that the ministry plans to seek further input on research currently under way at the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements. "As soon as the consultation process is complete, we will announce a specific reform proposal," he said.

At last year's national audit, the ministry said it was considering options including suspending publication of the weekly apartment price survey while continuing to conduct it, or extending the survey cycle to biweekly. It subsequently commissioned a study from the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, but no final plan has been released.

Korea Real Estate Board President Lee Heon-wook, who appeared at Thursday's audit, acknowledged that the weekly statistics have certain limitations in terms of reliability and accuracy.

"Because there are not enough actual transactions completed on a weekly basis, surveyors inevitably have to apply professional judgment when calculating the weekly rate of price change — that is a structural limitation," Lee said. He added, however, that "when viewed over the long term, the figures remain statistically meaningful even when compared against actual transaction price indexes."

The Korea Real Estate Board also said it is working to upgrade its systems to improve statistical precision, including by introducing AI technology. "We are strengthening external verification while building a framework that uses AI-based market price estimates to cross-check and validate existing survey results," Lee said.

Amid the continued rise in Seoul apartment prices, lawmakers asked Lee for his outlook on housing prices in the Greater Seoul area. Lee drew a line, saying it would be inappropriate for the board to comment publicly on market forecasts. "As an agency that compiles and publishes nationally approved statistics, it is not our place to offer market outlooks externally," he said.

According to the Korea Real Estate Board's weekly apartment price survey for the second week of October 2026 (as of Monday), Seoul apartment prices rose 0.16 percent this week, up from 0.12 percent the previous week. Prices have now risen for 88 consecutive weeks since the first week of February last year.