Kim Sook's Long Battle to Buy an Apartment in Apgujeong

Comedian Kim Sook revealed that she has been trying to purchase an apartment in the prestigious Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments in Gangnam, Seoul, for over 20 years, but has faced repeated failures. She explained that sellers often raise prices at the last minute during contract signings, a situation that continues to occur in the real estate market today.

During her appearance on MBC's 'Home for Rent! (구해줘! 홈즈)' on January 9, Kim expressed her emotional connection to the Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments, stating, "Thinking about this place brings me to tears." The apartments gained fame as the residence of popular entertainers like Yoo Jae-suk and Noh Hong-chul during their time on the show 'Infinite Challenge (무한도전)'. Kim noted that other celebrities, including Hong Hyun-hee, Lee Ji-hye, Oh Sang-jin, and Kim Hee-ae, have also moved into the area.

Reflecting on her past attempts, Kim shared, "I came here in my 20s to buy an apartment, but it was too expensive, so I couldn't purchase one. I returned after making some money, but I still couldn't buy it." She recounted how prices would suddenly increase by 50 million to 100 million KRW right before signing the contract, saying, "I went to the real estate office thinking it was 500 million KRW, but it turned out to be 600 million KRW. The seller would say, 'I raised the price suddenly.' This happened about three times at the Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments."

Kim met with a real estate agent who had previously shown her properties and expressed her frustration, asking, "If it's 1 billion KRW, why does it change when we come to sign the contract?" The agent replied that just last week, a price had been raised by 250 million KRW during a contract signing.

She then visited an actual listing for the apartment, which featured large windows overlooking the Han River. Kim explained, "In the past, people were very particular about the direction of the apartments. A north-facing apartment was undesirable, while south or east-facing was preferred. Here in Gangnam, they even designed the utility room to face north towards the Han River. Nowadays, renovations allow for views of the Han River even from south-facing apartments."

The apartment in question has a reported area of 196 square meters (approximately 65 pyeong) and is listed for 9 billion KRW. The jeonse (long-term lease) price is 2.5 billion KRW, while the monthly rent is around 800,000 KRW with a deposit of 500 million KRW.

The first phases of the Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments were completed in 1976. Despite being over 40 years old, they remain a prominent residential complex in Gangnam. With ongoing redevelopment projects, a unit of the same size sold for a record 8.3 billion KRW last August, surpassing the previous high of 5.39 billion KRW in January 2021.

As of last year, the Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments dominated the top rankings for price per 3.3 square meters, with the highest being Apgujeong Hyundai 14th phase at 1.512 billion KRW. The third and fourth spots were also held by Apgujeong Hyundai 4th and 5th phases, priced at 1.414 billion KRW and 1.3489 billion KRW, respectively.