Two Korean flats sold as the same size can offer different living space. What each area figure adds up, and how to compare fairly.
Korean apartment listings often carry three or four area figures for the same home. Apartments mix space a household uses alone with space shared with neighbours, so the figure depends on how much you add up. The legal unit is the square metre, but people still talk in pyeong, a traditional unit, and if no one says which area was converted, the same words can describe different sizes. Comparing areas starts with making sure you are using the same basis.
Exclusive area is the space behind your front door that the household uses alone: bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathrooms and so on. How it is measured is set by regulation. The area on the property register and the building ledger is the exclusive area, and it is usually the basis for housing rules too. For example, an exclusive area of 85 m² or less is defined as national housing size, so many floor plans are designed right up to that line. When comparing different complexes, exclusive area is the fairest number.
Supply area is exclusive area plus residential common space shared within the building, such as stairs, corridors, lift lobbies and the ground-floor entrance. Contract area adds a share of other common space for complex facilities, such as underground parking, the management office and the seniors' lounge. Sale contracts list these together, and a price per unit of area changes a lot depending on which area it is divided by.
Balconies count towards neither exclusive nor supply area; they are known as service area. A flat whose balcony has been enclosed and merged into the rooms therefore has more usable space even though its official area is the same. That is why two flats with the same exclusive area can feel quite different. Flats without the extension use the balcony for storage or laundry. You can check whether the extension was done through proper procedures with the building ledger, the management office and the agent.
When a Korean apartment is called a certain number of pyeong, the figure is by custom usually the supply area converted to pyeong. One pyeong is about 3.3058 m², so an exclusive area of 84 m² is about 25.4 pyeong but is commonly called a thirty-something pyeong flat, and 59 m² is about 17.8 pyeong but is called a twenty-something. The share of common area varies by complex, so flats quoted at the same pyeong can have different exclusive areas. If a listing shows only pyeong, ask for the exclusive area. Measuring rooms with this site's area calculator also helps you get a feel for size.
The share of supply area that is exclusive area is called the efficiency ratio. It varies with the complex's design, whether units open onto corridors or shared stair cores, the number of floors and the size of shared facilities. Officetels, a Korean studio-office hybrid, fall under different laws and are often marketed on contract area, so the same number may mean much less living space than in an apartment. When housing types differ, convert to exclusive area before comparing.
Area is not only about size; it is tied to costs. Complexes differ, but maintenance charges are often divided by supply area, so a complex with more common space can charge more for the same exclusive area. When comparing price per pyeong, check which area it was divided by. Taxes often depend on the officially assessed price rather than area, but some schemes have exclusive area requirements. Check the specific criteria in official guidance from the relevant agency.
Confirm area in public records, not in advertising copy. Check that the exclusive area in the title section of the register and in the building ledger matches the listing, and for a new-build sale read the area table in the contract to the end. In the home itself, measuring the spots where large furniture will go saves regret after moving. This is a general guide to area concepts and is not investment, legal or tax advice. Measurement rules and related schemes can change, so check official guidance from the Korean land ministry and other agencies.
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