Korean real estate agents: how to find, check and work with one in Seoul

How do you find a Korean real estate agent who speaks English?

Use Seoul's official list of Global Real Estate Agencies (글로벌 부동산중개사무소), which you can filter by district and language. As of November 2026 the city's English list showed 219 English-speaking offices, concentrated in Yongsan, Seocho and Gangnam. Before paying anything, check the agent's registration online and ask for the fee in writing.

A Korean real estate agent — a 공인중개사 (gong-in junggaesa, licensed real estate agent) — is the person who shows you listings, checks the property and drafts the lease. Almost every rental in Seoul goes through one. This guide covers where to find agents who work in English, how to verify them, what the law requires of them and what they may charge, with rules as of November 2026.

What is Seoul's Global Real Estate Agency program?

It is a city scheme, running since 2008, that designates licensed agencies able to handle leases in a foreign language. It helps with language; it does not replace your own checks.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government's programme notice says designated offices consult in foreign languages and explain the key points of jeonse and monthly-rent leases, including the registry, the deposit and special terms (특약, teugyak). The same notice adds that it is a convenience programme and that both parties must still check the registry and other essentials before signing.

Agencies are screened before designation. In the 2026 call for applications (August 14 – September 3, 2026), the city planned to select about 35 offices. Applicants needed a score of at least 70 out of 100, of which 80 points tested listening, speaking and writing in the chosen language, and offices with a fine or administrative sanction under the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act (공인중개사법) in the previous year could not apply. The results were announced on October 12, 2026.

Where are the English-speaking agencies in Seoul?

Mostly in the districts where foreign residents already live. We counted the entries on the city's English-language list of Global Real Estate Agencies on November 3, 2026:

The list gives each office's representative, phone, email, address and language. It may not yet reflect every office designated in October 2026, so a missing name is not proof of anything — check the registration instead (see below). For which areas suit which budgets, see our Seoul neighbourhoods guide.

Will the agent actually speak English?

Often, but not always fluently on the phone. Expect to switch to text messages or KakaoTalk.

In August 2026, the Korea JoongAng Daily phoned six designated agencies as a foreign renter. Two handled the whole consultation in English; the other four understood English but preferred to continue by text, where they replied in English. The paper put the programme at around 250 agencies across seven languages, with English, Chinese and Japanese making up most of them.

A first contact goes faster if you send these four facts in one message:

• The neighbourhood or the station you need to commute to
• Your deposit budget (보증금, bojeunggeum)
• Your monthly-rent budget (월세, wolse)
• Your move-in date and how long you plan to stay

Those are the same questions the agents in the JoongAng Daily test asked first. If you are unsure what deposit level is realistic, our rent guide has current figures.

How do you check that a Korean agent is licensed?

Look the office up online, compare the names with the person in front of you, and check the certificate on the office wall.

• Search the office. According to the Seoul Real Estate Information Plaza (서울부동산정보광장), it shows offices currently in business, their address and their assistants, while the national spatial information portal (국가공간정보포털, nsdi.go.kr) shows the representative (with photo), the office's status — open, suspended or temporarily closed — and its assistants.
• Ask for the mobile licence. Since August 19, 2024, agents and assistants registered in Seoul can show a mobile licence through the Seoul Wallet (서울지갑) app; it cannot be screenshotted. The city says that if it does not come up, the person is not a registered real estate worker in Seoul.
• Read the walls and the sign. The registration certificate and the fee table must be displayed where you can see them (Article 17 of the Act), and a registered office's name must include 공인중개사사무소 or 부동산중개 (Article 18). Anyone who is not a registered agent may not use those names.

Is the person showing you around a licensed agent or an assistant?

Not necessarily. Many offices employ 중개보조원 (junggae bojowon, brokerage assistants), who are not licensed.

Under Article 2 of the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, an assistant is someone without the licence who helps with simple tasks such as showing properties and office work. Since April 18, 2023, Article 18-4 has required an assistant to tell you in advance that they are an assistant. Showing you a flat is fine; the written explanation of the property must be signed by the registered agent, and by the licensed staff agent who handled the deal if there is one (Article 25).

What must a Korean real estate agent do for you?

Explain the property and its legal status with documents, put that explanation in writing, and give you the lease and proof of their insurance.

Article 25 requires the agent to check and explain, before the deal is completed, the property's condition, location and rights — mortgages, jeonse rights, leases — and to show the supporting documents such as the registry certificate (등기사항증명서) and building ledger. The government's Easy Law guide lists what that explanation covers for a home lease, including:

• the fee and expenses, and how they were calculated;
• the maintenance fee (관리비, gwallibi) and how it is calculated;
• the landlord's duty to disclose information and the portion of a small deposit protected by law;
• that, with the landlord's consent, you can request fixed-date (확정일자) information and check the landlord's unpaid national and local taxes.

When the contract is signed, the agent must hand both parties this written explanation (중개대상물 확인·설명서) and the contract. Agents keep the explanation for three years and the contract for five. Failing to explain properly, or to show the documents, can bring a fine of up to ₩5 million.

An agent who causes you financial loss through intent or negligence must compensate you (Article 30), and must hold surety insurance, mutual-aid cover (공제, gongje) or a cash deposit to cover it before opening. Article 24 of the Enforcement Decree sets the minimum at ₩200 million for an individual agent and ₩400 million for a corporation. When the deal is done, the agent must tell you the amount, the insurer and the period, and give you a copy of the certificate.

How much does a real estate agent charge in Korea?

For a lease, the fee is a percentage of the "transaction amount", capped by law and agreed with the agent. Each side — tenant and landlord — pays its own fee.

For a monthly-rent lease, the transaction amount is the deposit plus the monthly rent × 100; if that comes to less than ₩50 million, it is the deposit plus the rent × 70. For jeonse, it is simply the deposit. These are the housing caps per party, as of November 2026:

Two worked examples, for example:

• ₩5M deposit, ₩400,000 rent: ₩5M + ₩40M = ₩45M, under ₩50M, so recalculate with × 70: ₩5M + ₩28M = ₩33M → 0.5% = ₩165,000 maximum.
• ₩10M deposit, ₩700,000 rent: ₩10M + ₩70M = ₩80M → 0.4% = ₩320,000, capped at ₩300,000.

Officetels of 85㎡ or less with their own kitchen, toilet and bath have a separate lease cap of 0.4%; other non-housing property is up to 0.9% (see our officetel vs villa vs apartment guide). On top of the fee, the agent may charge actual costs for checking the property's rights. Article 33 bans taking money beyond the fee and those costs under any name — "for the extra effort" or "for speaking English" included. Ask for the fee in writing, and whether VAT is added, before you sign.

What should you do if an agent breaks the rules?

Report it. Seoul's notice on illegal brokerage lists false or exaggerated listings, unregistered brokerage, renting out a licence and double contracts as the main violations, with penalties ranging from fines of up to ₩5 million to up to three years in prison or a ₩30 million fine, plus suspension or loss of the licence.

• Seoul illegal-activity rapid response team: 02-2133-4676
• MOLIT real estate advertising monitoring centre: 02-6951-1375
• Real estate market disruption reporting centre: 1644-9782

Article 33 also bars an agent from dealing directly with their own client or acting for both sides as the client's representative. For an independent view before you sign, Seoul launched Monday lease counselling for foreign residents at the Seoul Foreign Residents Support Center in Daelim-dong in November 2024, according to The Korea Times (02-2229-4900); check the current schedule before you go.

Do you need an agent, a lawyer or a relocation helper?

They do different jobs. The agent holds the listings, brokers the deal and carries the legal duties above. A lawyer advises on the contract itself. A bilingual helper makes sure you understand every step.

Seoul Housing Help is an independent bilingual service in Seoul that books viewings and interprets with Korean realtors and landlords; licensed agents handle the brokerage, and we receive no commission from landlords. We communicate your requests and translate what the agent explains, but we do not broker, give legal advice or review contracts. See Seoul apartment help and our packages — Viewing Assistance starts from ₩390,000 — and the first 15-minute call is free. For the full renting process in order, read our step-by-step guide.

Sources (read November 3, 2026): Licensed Real Estate Agents Act Articles 2, 17, 18, 18-4, 25, 30, 32 and 33 and Enforcement Decree Article 24 (law.go.kr, versions in force from August 28, 2026); Easy Law, "중개보수 등 확인하기" (easylaw.go.kr, fee caps from Enforcement Rule Article 20 and Annexes 1–2, agent duties and fines); Seoul Metropolitan Government, Land Management Division notices on the Global Real Estate Brokerage Office programme, the 2026 designation call (August 13, 2026) and results (October 12, 2026), the mobile licence service and illegal-brokerage penalties (news.seoul.go.kr); Seoul Real Estate Information Plaza, Global Real Estate Agency list (counted November 3, 2026) and broker information disclosure page (land.seoul.go.kr); Korea JoongAng Daily, August 5, 2026; The Korea Times, November 17, 2024. — This guide is general information, not legal advice. Seoul Housing Help is not a real-estate agency or law firm; licensed agents handle brokerage and a lawyer can advise on your contract.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find an English-speaking real estate agent in Seoul?

Start with the Seoul Metropolitan Government's list of Global Real Estate Agencies on the Seoul Real Estate Information Plaza (land.seoul.go.kr), which you can filter by district and language. As of November 2026 it listed 219 English-speaking offices, most of them in Yongsan, Seocho and Gangnam. Agents' spoken English varies, so ask to continue by text or KakaoTalk if a call is hard.

How much does a real estate agent charge in Korea for renting?

The fee is capped by law. For a monthly-rent lease, the transaction amount is the deposit plus 100 times the monthly rent (70 times if that total is under ₩50M). The cap is 0.5% up to ₩200,000 under ₩50M, 0.4% up to ₩300,000 from ₩50M to under ₩100M, and 0.3% from ₩100M to under ₩600M.

How can I check if a Korean real estate agent is licensed?

Search the office on the Seoul Real Estate Information Plaza or the national spatial information portal (nsdi.go.kr), which show the office's registration, current status and its assistants. In Seoul, agents can also show a mobile licence through the Seoul Wallet app; if it does not come up, the city says the person is not a registered agent in Seoul.

What is the Korean word for real estate agent?

A licensed agent is a 공인중개사 (gong-in junggaesa). People usually just say 부동산 (budongsan, 'real estate') for the office. By law, a registered office's name must include 공인중개사사무소 or 부동산중개, and anyone who is not a registered agent may not use those names.

Do I need a real estate agent to rent in Seoul?

Not legally, but most leases are arranged through one, and a registered agent has duties a private deal does not give you: explaining the registry and other key facts in writing, and carrying liability cover. If you rent directly from a landlord, you check the registry and draft the contract yourself.