Amid the so-called "lottery subscription" frenzy sweeping Gangnam-area reconstruction complexes, controversy is mounting as "perfect-score subscription accounts" — available only to extended families of five or six or more — are winning bids for small units of around 10 pyeong.
◇ "A six-person family living in a two-bedroom?"… High scores pour into small units
According to the Korea Real Estate Board's subscription portal on the 22nd, the highest winning score for the 44-square-meter (about 13-pyeong) units at "Hautere Banpo" (Sinbanpo 21st) in Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, reached 79 points. A total of 3,114 applications were submitted for just five units, with the minimum winning score at 74 points.
A perfect subscription score (84 points) requires 15 or more years without home ownership (32 points), 15 or more years of subscription account enrollment (17 points), and six or more dependents excluding the applicant (35 points). Accordingly, 79 points represents a virtually maximum score achievable by a household with five dependents excluding the applicant (six-person household) that has maintained both non-ownership status and account enrollment for 15 years or more, while 74 points corresponds to four dependents (five-person household).
The issue is that Hautere Banpo's 44-square-meter unit is a small layout of about 13 pyeong with only two bedrooms and one bathroom. Because the price ceiling system applies, winners must reside there for two years. In other words, a six-person family would have to actually live in the unit.
A similar case appeared in Seocho-gu's "Acro de Seocho," announced on the 9th. One of the two winners of the 59-square-meter Type C units scored a perfect 84 points on the subscription point system. This "dream score" can only be achieved by a seven-person household that has met the non-ownership requirement for 15 or more years, meaning seven people would have to actually live in a space of just over 18 pyeong.
◇ Higher scores for smaller units than larger ones… Driven by 'funds' and 'capital gains'
Notably, the threshold for winning small units was higher than for mid-to-large units. The minimum winning score for Hautere Banpo's 59- to 113-square-meter units was 69 points (a perfect score for a four-person household), but the floor for the 44-square-meter small unit was higher at 74 points.
Real estate experts cite financial burden and capital gains as the reasons for this unusual phenomenon. They analyze that as lending regulations have tightened recently, high-scoring applicants have flocked to small units with relatively lower sale prices. Additionally, with expected capital gains of at least 2 to 3 billion won upon winning compared to nearby complex prices, the mindset of prioritizing winning even at the cost of residential inconvenience has taken hold.
Subscription score inflation is also intensifying. According to the Korea Real Estate Board, the average subscription score for Seoul apartments last year was 65.81 points, the highest since statistics began being compiled in 2020.
Given the situation, criticism is growing in the market. Citing the practical difficulty of large families living in small units, some are raising the possibility of "fake address registration" to boost scores and calling for a thorough government investigation.
