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Lee signals he may limit extending existing loans for owners of multiple homes

Published: 13 Feb. 2026, 13:34

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with senior aides at the Blue House in Seoul on Feb. 12. [YONHAP]

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday raised questions about whether it is fair to extend existing loans for owners of multiple homes, hinting at possible measures to restrict such financial benefits in an effort to stabilize the property market.

Lee signaled stronger steps to curb housing prices in a message on the social media platform X amid complaints from homebuyers facing tight lending regulations when purchasing new homes in the Seoul metropolitan area.

“It seems problematic to provide financial benefits for the purchases of multiple homes for investment or speculative purposes, not for living,” Lee wrote. “That is why lending regulations on owners of multiple homes are currently very strict.”

Lee's remarks are widely interpreted as signaling that the government could review whether to impose limits on loan extensions for owners of multiple homes when their existing loans expire.

“Fairness is the driving force of growth in a democratic society,” he said. “Like all areas of administration, finance must also be just and fair.”

The government currently imposes stricter mortgage limits on home purchases in the greater Seoul area in an effort to cool the overheated real estate market. The policy has faced criticism over fairness as some owners of multiple homes are able to extend existing loans by refinancing their properties, an option not available to those seeking to purchase new homes under the recently-tightened rules.

Lee has repeatedly pledged to stabilize the housing market, arguing that rising home prices are placing heavy burdens on young people and discouraging marriage and childbirth.

Yonhap