Renting in Seoul's competitive housing market in 2026 can be challenging. With housing prices rising around 9 percent year-on-year in 2025, marking the sharpest spike in 19 years, the news warned of the death of rentals, especially Korea's lump-sum "jeonse" rental system.

Some 21 years ago, when I rented my first apartment, it was not that difficult. My past experiences made me pretty complacent — until I actually had to find a place recently.

Circa 2005, there were plenty of jeonse rentals, the Korean system where people pay a large, refundable lump-sum deposit rather than monthly rent for multiyear leases. I had the fortune of living 16 years in one such place — both the landlord and I were too lazy to bother with changes.

Then, about five years ago, I had to move to a new apartment nearby. Unfortunately, the apartment buildings where I had lived were all scheduled to be torn down and rebuilt as new apartment buildings with updated units. Of course, they became more expensive. As neighborhoods soon turned to "construction........

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