Seoul to hold housing forum on Oct. 7 to discuss jeonse, monthly rent stability
Version 2: A third outlet, Newsis, now carries the same city announcement, but no new facts about the forum, its speakers or its schedule have emerged.
In short
Seoul city government said on Oct. 4 that it will hold the 2026 Seoul Housing Forum on Oct. 7 at the Korea Press Center, under the theme of diagnosing the jeonse and monthly rent market and seeking stabilization measures. City chief architect Lee Chang-moo will give the keynote, followed by presentations on corporate-style private rental housing, field supply problems and the city's long-term jeonse housing policy. The city said opinions and expert proposals from the forum will be used in reviewing rental stabilization and housing welfare policies.
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Seoul city government said on Oct. 4 that it will hold the 2026 Seoul Housing Forum on Oct. 7 at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, under the theme “diagnosing the current state of the jeonse and monthly rent market and seeking stabilization measures.” Newsis also reported the date and theme. The city said the forum is a place where experts and citizens look for solutions to housing policy issues together, according to Asia Economy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Lee Chang-moo, the city's chief architect, will open with a keynote on structural changes in the jeonse and monthly rent market and its main sources of instability; Yonhap said his keynote subject is “strengthening sales-market regulation and jeonse-market instability.” Lee Sang-young of Myongji University will look at corporate-style private rental housing at home and abroad and propose policy tasks. Cho Kang-tae, CEO of MGRV, will share field experience in supplying and operating private rental housing and, per Yonhap, the problem of supply lagging rental demand. Kim Joon-hyung of Myongji University will assess the performance of Seoul's long-term jeonse housing policy and its future role. [ 1 , 2 ]
After the presentations, housing and real estate experts, private rental operators, media representatives and city officials will discuss stabilizing the market and expanding rental housing supply, Yonhap reported. Asia Economy said questions submitted by citizens in advance will be taken up in the expert discussion, and Yonhap said opinions are being accepted on the forum website with on-site Q&A on the day. The city plans to use the collected citizen views and expert proposals when reviewing future jeonse and monthly rent policies. The forum is open to anyone, with pre-registration through the forum website. [ 1 , 2 ]
Asia Economy described the forum as taking place as unease continues in Seoul's jeonse and monthly rent market, and said the event has been held since 2019 — a detail Yonhap's report does not mention. Deputy Mayor Kim Seong-bo said the jeonse and monthly rent market is tied directly to residents' housing costs and to a stable housing base, and that the opinions raised at the forum will be actively used to prepare stabilization and housing welfare policies that residents can feel. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
Jeonse and monthly rent costs are a direct expense for Seoul renters, and the city says the forum's output will feed into its policy review. The event signals continuing city-level work on private rental supply and long-term jeonse housing rather than any announced measure, and no decisions are described as being taken at the forum.
Key facts
- Seoul city government announced on Oct. 4 that it will hold the 2026 Seoul Housing Forum on Oct. 7 at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The forum's theme is “diagnosing the current state of the jeonse and monthly rent market and seeking stabilization measures.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Lee Chang-moo, Seoul's chief architect, will deliver the keynote analyzing structural changes and instability in the jeonse and monthly rent market. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Lee Sang-young of Myongji University will present on corporate-style private rental housing, including overseas operating cases, and Kim Joon-hyung of Myongji University will assess Seoul's long-term jeonse housing policy. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Cho Kang-tae, CEO of MGRV, will present on field experience and on supply lagging rental demand. [ 1 , 2 ]
- After the presentations, housing and real estate experts, private rental operators, media and city officials will discuss rental market stabilization and expanding rental housing supply, according to Yonhap. [ 2 ]
- Deputy Mayor Kim Seong-bo said opinions from the forum will be actively used to prepare jeonse stabilization and housing welfare policies residents can feel. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The forum is open to any citizen, with advance questions taken online and on-site Q&A planned. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Seoul city government said on Oct. 4 that it will hold the 2026 Seoul Housing Forum on Oct. 7. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The forum will take place at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The theme is diagnosing the jeonse and monthly rent market and seeking stabilization measures. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Lee Chang-moo, Seoul's chief architect, will deliver the keynote on structural changes and instability in the jeonse and monthly rent market. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Lee Sang-young of Myongji University will present on corporate-style private rental housing and related policy tasks. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Cho Kang-tae, CEO of MGRV, will present on field problems, including supply lagging rental demand. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Kim Joon-hyung of Myongji University will assess Seoul's long-term jeonse housing policy and its future role. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Kim Seong-bo, Seoul's deputy mayor for administrative affairs II, said the opinions gathered will be actively used to prepare jeonse stabilization and housing welfare policies. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- What specific policy measures, if any, the forum will produce. Both full reports say only that opinions and expert proposals will be used in a later policy review; no measures or decisions are announced.
- Whether the forum will confirm current conditions in the Seoul jeonse and monthly rent market. The reports describe the market as unsettled but cite no figures or data.
- How long the Seoul Housing Forum has been running. Only Asia Economy says it has been held since 2019; Yonhap does not mention this.
- The start time and detailed schedule of the Oct. 7 event. Neither document gives a time of day for the forum.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Seoul city government announces the 2026 Seoul Housing Forum, to be held Oct. 7 at the Korea Press Center under the theme of diagnosing the jeonse and monthly rent market and seeking stabilization measures. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Newsis reports the same city announcement, saying the forum will discuss measures to stabilize the jeonse and monthly rent market. [ 3 ]