Policy Recommendation for Korea: When the Cost Falls on Tenants
Korea's 8·3 tax reform moves in the right direction. But the cost is being transferred to tenants. Three conditions must hold simultaneously — otherwise the reform fails on its own principle.
The direction is correct. The execution is dangerous.
Korea's August 3 tax reform tries to shift the anchor of real estate taxation from "ownership" to "actual residence." The comprehensive real estate tax base deduction is raised to 1.4 billion KRW for owner-occupied single-home owners, cut to 900 million KRW for non-occupied single-home owners. From 2029, the transfer tax deduction will recognize only residence time, not holding time.
This is structurally aligned with the GL Framework's diagnosis: land value should serve public revenue, not private hoarding.
But the reform, as currently designed, is producing a consequence that the GL Framework explicitly forbids: the cost is being transferred to those with the least bargaining power — tenants.
I. What Is Already Happening
The data is not theoretical. Since the reform was announced, Seoul's rental market has responded:
- Jeonse prices in Seoul apartments have risen 6.53% this year — more than five times last year's rate;
- Jeonse listings in Seoul have fallen 9% year-on-year; in some districts (such as Jamsil), listings dropped from 80 to fewer than 10;
- Luxury monthly rentals (above 10 million KRW per month) have increased 36% in a year — a direct signal of tax pass-through;
- Landlords are asking openly in forums: "If my holding tax rises by tens of millions of won, how much must I raise the monthly rent?"
II. Why the Cost Transfers
The mechanism is direct:
- The landlord's holding cost rises — the comprehensive real estate tax for non-occupied single-home owners increases sharply;
- Rental supply shrinks — landlords choose to sell, or to move in themselves to qualify for the higher deduction;
- Tenants have no alternative — Seoul's rental market is already tight (rental share around 55%); fewer listings mean stronger landlord pricing power;
- Result: the landlord passes part of the tax bill to the tenant in the form of higher rent or deposit.
III. The Structural Contradiction
Korea's reform tries to separate "the speculator" from "the ordinary person" by using "actual residence" as the criterion. But reality does not cooperate:
- Job relocation — forced to leave the owned home;
- Children's schooling — forced to rent near the school district;
- Caring for parents — forced to live in two places.
These people own only one home and do not live in it. Under the new rules, they are treated as "non-occupancy holders" and face higher tax — or are forced to move back into a home that may not suit their lives.
IV. Three Conditions That Must Hold Simultaneously
The GL Framework's diagnosis is clear: the problem is not "whether to tax non-occupancy," but "doing only this one thing." If the reform taxes without accompanying measures, the result is guaranteed to be cost pass-through. Three conditions must hold simultaneously:
V. What Korea Should Do
The recommendation is not to abandon the reform. It is to complete it. Specifically:
- Expand rental supply first — before the tax takes effect, ensure public and corporate rental supply can absorb displaced tenants;
- Introduce rent increase caps — limit annual rent increases to inflation or a fixed ceiling, with a fair appeal mechanism for landlords;
- Broaden the definition of "legitimate non-occupancy" — recognize work, education, medical care, and family care as valid reasons, with clear documentation standards;
- Establish a tenant impact assessment — before each tax adjustment, measure the expected rent impact on tenants, and publish the results;
- Link tax revenue to rental housing funding — dedicate a portion of the increased holding tax revenue to public rental housing construction, making the reform self-reinforcing.