Exclusive
The buyer of the record-breaking 13 billion won Apgujeong apartment is 26 years old… 29% of ultra-high-price transactions were by people in their 20s and 30s

[비즈한국] It has been confirmed that the buyer who set the record for the highest-priced apartment sale in the Apgujeong Apartment District, by purchasing an apartment at Apgujeong Hyundai 1st and 2nd complex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, for 13 billion won, is a person in their 20s. It appears that the buyer completed the remaining payment without a loan just three months after signing the sales contract in the second half of last year. It has been found that one in four apartments sold for over 10 billion won last year was purchased by the 2030 generation, and the majority of these transactions set new price records for the respective complexes or the same floor plans.

According to industry sources and real estate registers, a Mr. Lee (26), born in 1999, purchased a 196㎡ unit at Apgujeong Hyundai 1st and 2nd in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, for 13.05 billion won last November. Mr. Lee completed the ownership transfer registration approximately three months after signing the contract in August last year. Given that no collateral security was established, it appears the purchase price was paid in full with cash.

Mr. Lee's purchase price is the highest in the history of apartment sales not only for this complex but for the entire Apgujeong Apartment District. To date, the second-highest sale price in this complex is 12.7 billion won (June last year, 197㎡), and the next highest price in the entire Apgujeong Apartment District is 12.8 billion won (December last year, Apgujeong Shin-Hyundai 183㎡). Previously, a 245㎡ unit at Apgujeong Hyundai 6th and 7th was contracted for the same amount as Mr. Lee's, 13.05 billion won, in April last year, but the ownership transfer registration has not been completed to date.

Apgujeong Hyundai 1st and 2nd is a representative example of Korea's aging reconstruction projects. In the 1970s, the Seoul Metropolitan Government created the Apgujeong Apartment District along the Han River to boost housing supply. Subsequently, Apgujeong Hyundai (1st-14th), Miseong (1st-2nd), and Hanyang (1st-8th) apartments were densely built in the area. Currently, as most have reached 40 years since completion, neighboring complexes are divided into six zones to pursue reconstruction. Apgujeong Hyundai 1st and 2nd, purchased by Mr. Lee, is in its 50th year and belongs to Apgujeong Zone 3, the largest among the reconstruction sites in the area.

One out of every four ultra-high-price apartments sold for over 10 billion won last year was purchased by the 2030 generation. Bizhankook conducted an exhaustive analysis of 35 apartment transactions sold for over 10 billion won in 2025 (based on ownership transfers completed by the 12th), confirming that a total of 10 apartments (29%) were purchased by those in their 20s and 30s. Among these, six set new price records for their respective complexes, and two set record prices for the same floor plan within their complexes.

Four out of the 10 ultra-high-price apartments over 10 billion won purchased by the 2030 generation last year are located in the Apgujeong Apartment District. The apartments over 10 billion won purchased by them last year include three units at Nine One Hannam in Yongsan-gu (207㎡ at 13 billion won, 244㎡ at 11.4 billion won and 10.2 billion won), two units at Acro Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu (274㎡ at 29 billion won, 198㎡ at 18.7 billion won), two units at Apgujeong Hyundai 1st and 2nd (196㎡ at 13.05 billion won, 197㎡ at 12 billion won), one unit at Hannam The Hill in Yongsan-gu (243㎡ at 17.5 billion won), one unit at Apgujeong Shin-Hyundai in Gangnam-gu (183㎡ at 12.8 billion won), and one unit at Apgujeong Hyundai 6th and 7th (197㎡ at 10.1 billion won).

The 2030 generation who purchased apartments over 10 billion won last year includes Kim Byung-hoon (37), CEO of beauty device company APR; singer Jin (33, real name Kim Seok-jin) of BTS; and Kim Tae-young (32), the second son of Chairman Kim Chang-soo of fashion company F&F. The apartments they purchased are Acro Seoul Forest 274㎡ (29 billion won), Hannam The Hill 243㎡ (17.5 billion won), and Nine One Hannam 207㎡ (13 billion won), respectively.