About 3.7 trillion won raised from selling stocks and bonds flowed into the housing market this year, data showed. Of that amount, roughly 65% was used to purchase homes in Seoul, with funds concentrated in the three southern Gangnam districts.
According to a tally of fund procurement plans submitted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) to the office of Rep. Kim Jong-yang of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, 3.7254994 trillion won in proceeds from stock and bond sales was used as home purchase funds between January and April this year.
A home acquisition fund procurement plan is a document disclosing the source of funds used to buy a home. It must be submitted to the relevant local government within 30 days of the contract date when purchasing any home in a regulated area or a home in a non-regulated area with an actual transaction price of 600 million won or more.
By region, 2.43963 trillion won, or 65.5% of the home purchase funds raised through stock and bond sales, went toward purchasing homes in Seoul. The funds were most heavily concentrated in the three Gangnam districts: 370.69 billion won in Gangnam-gu, 353.15 billion won in Songpa-gu, and 290.38 billion won in Seocho-gu.
This year, the share of stock and bond sale proceeds used to purchase high-priced homes worth 1.5 billion won or more also rose sharply.
By price bracket, the share of stock and bond sale proceeds used to trade homes worth 1.5 billion won or more had remained within 5% in recent years: 3.2% in 2020, 4.9% in 2021, 4.5% in 2022, 4.1% in 2023, 4.6% in 2024, and 4.7% in 2025.
But the mood shifted this year. It recorded 9.3% in January, 9.3% from Feb. 1 to 9, 9.1% from Feb. 10 to 28, and 9.8% in March. In April, it climbed to 13.2%, reaching double digits for the first time. The February figure was split because virtual asset sale proceeds were established as a separate reporting item starting with contracts signed on Feb. 10.
This trend is interpreted as the effect of funds that realized investment gains amid the recent strength of the domestic stock market moving into the high-priced housing market. The stock market and the real estate market are typically regarded as alternative asset markets through which funds move back and forth. Recently, however, funds secured through the stock market's rise appear to be heading back into real estate.
By age group, those in their 30s used the largest amount of stock and bond sale proceeds. Between January and April this year, people in their 30s used 1.25924 trillion won in stock and bond sale proceeds to purchase homes.
They were followed by those in their 40s with 1.10868 trillion won, those in their 50s with 802.21 billion won, those 60 and older with 489.31 billion won, those in their 20s with 65.93 billion won, and those under 20 with 1.08 billion won.
"President Lee Jae-myung called for revitalizing the stock market as an alternative investment vehicle to ease the concentration of funds in real estate, but the reality is that the public is selling stocks to buy homes," Rep. Kim said. "The government must seriously recognize the situation in which capital market funds are moving into real estate and reexamine its real estate policy stance."
