The World On arirang

The South Korean government rolled out a plan to revise the country’s tax code on Jul. 22, which included tax hikes on real estate. While Seoul’s aggressive measures to bring property prices under control are being met with mixed reactions, South Korea isn’t the only country relying on taxation to deter property speculation. Northern European countries have recently introduced stricter conditions on housing loans. France and Singapore have raised tax for short-term home ownership, and the UK imposes up to 15% stamp duty on property purchases by multiple home owners. In this week’s edition of Foreign Correspondents, we sit down with our panel of journalists to discuss what home ownership means in South Korea and elsewhere around the world as well as the factors driving up home prices.

Panelists
- Jack Barton / Freelance Journalist 
- Jim Bulley, Editor / Korea JoongAng Daily
- Steven Borowiec, Contributing Writer / Nikkei Asian Review

Skype Interview Guests
- Jiro Takai, Professor / Nagoya University