Land ministry announces districts subject to price ceiling system

Big changes coming to South Korea's real estate market.The government has just revealed the districts where a new price ceiling system will be imposed to clamp down on rampant speculation.Our Hong Yoo is on the line to give us the details.So Yoo, what districts will be included under this new measure?The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said within the past hour or so that the newly-adjusted price ceiling system on privately-owned housing sites will be applied to 27 villages in Seoul including Gangnam district 4, Mapo-gu, Yongsan-gu, Seongdong-gu, and parts of Yeongdeungpo-gu.And the price ceiling will be removed for three boroughs in Busan, and part of Goyang and Namyang.This time, the system has been applied to pinpointed areas where the housing market is overheated instead of being applied to the entire country like has been the case in the past.Land minister Kim Hyun-mee said demand driven by low interest rates and ample market liquidity has been flooding into the housing market in some Seoul districts amid growing economic uncertainties.She said the average price of new apartments in Seoul has been rising fast over the past year, fueling a price spike in existing homes as well.The criteria for the price ceiling were districts that have witnessed a big price spike this year, Seoul districts that have contributed to overheating markets and have new housing developments planned, and districts with a post-distribution complex for the express purpose of avoiding the management of apartment prices.Experts forecast the government will use a "two-track" strategy of clamping down on overheated housing markets with the price ceiling system, while lifting restrictions on areas where the housing market has been stagnant for a long time.Back to you Jiyoon.