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Apartment prices in the Gangnam area of ​​Seoul, which have been on the rise despite the recent nationwide falling house prices, have begun to fall.

The opinion that the trend seems to have been broken in earnest and the prospect that it is only a temporary phenomenon and that there will be no major decline are mixed.



Reporter Han Sang-woo has heard both stories.



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is a large apartment complex in Jamsil, Seoul.



Last month, an 84-square-meter apartment was sold for 2.35 billion won, which is more than 300 million won lower than three months ago.



In Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu, a house with an exclusive area of ​​59 square meters in a newly built apartment complex fell by 150 million won in just one month.



Apartment prices in the so-called 'Gangnam District 3', which maintained an upward trend amid a nationwide decline, also turned to a downward trend.



[Kim Gyu-gyu / Head of Asset Succession Research Institute at Korea Investment & Securities: Concerns about price adjustments or price drops in the field are much higher than those shown by indicators.

As concerns about a downtrend have grown along with the wait-and-see attitude, a correction seems inevitable for the time being.]



So, the argument for a downtrend comes out.



House prices rose sharply in the early 2000s, fell for nearly five years from 2009, and then rose again for nearly eight years.



When the supply of 2.5 million households begins in earnest as the government plans, the downtrend is expected to become stronger.



However, there are also considerable arguments that it is difficult to see a decline in the trend because house prices have only temporarily fallen due to loans and various regulations, and supply is still in short supply in major areas of Seoul.



[Lee Eun-hyeong / Research Fellow, Korea Construction Policy Research Institute: The current market can also be seen as being greatly suppressed by factors such as loan regulations, so it is not enough to judge the trend down.

Even if the current situation continues, regional polarization is more likely than an overall decline.]



Amid mixed prospects, the July and August real estate market in full swing ahead of the autumn moving season is expected to be a turning point in determining whether the trend will decline.



(Video editing: Jeon Min-gyu, VJ: Jung Young-sam)