"Dongtan at 2 Billion Won? I Should Have Bought a House" Samsung Electronics Shareholder but a Tenant: "Jeonse Prices Will Jump Again" [World of Retail Investors]
- Input
- 2026-05-25 05:00:00
- Updated
- 2026-05-25 05:00:00

It said that semiconductor bonuses could usher in the era of 2 billion won homes in Dongtan, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province. Lim also lives in Dongtan, but he is a tenant using a jeonse loan.
With less than a year left before his contract expires, the news that home prices in his neighborhood are rising naturally left him uneasy. A new map of wealth created by the shuttle-bus zone Record-breaking bonuses from Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are shaking up the housing market in southern Seoul metropolitan areas.
The blue streak that once made his heart sink faded sooner than expected, and with the issue of Samsung Electronics' general strike put on hold, his account is still posting strong returns. That feeling, however, quickly collapsed the moment he checked the real estate news.
SK hynix is said to have paid bonuses earlier this year worth about 150 million won for employees earning 100 million won a year. Samsung Electronics is also expected, under a labor-management agreement, to pay bonuses of up to 600 million won before tax for employees in its Device Solutions division who earn 100 million won a year.
The blue streak that once made his heart sink faded sooner than expected, and with the issue of Samsung Electronics' general strike put on hold, his account is still posting strong returns. That feeling, however, quickly collapsed the moment he checked the real estate news.As a result, analysts expect buying demand in Dongtan's housing market to strengthen, especially among people in their 30s and 40s working at major companies such as Samsung Electronics. The key term is "shuttle-bus zone" .
It refers to neighborhoods near train stations served by commuter shuttle buses for major semiconductor companies.In fact, according to the Korea Real Estate Board (KREB), apartment prices in so-called shuttle-bus zones such as Yongin Suji, Bundang District in Seongnam, Yeongtong in Suwon, and Dongtan in Hwaseong-si have recently risen faster than the average in the Seoul metropolitan area.46%), as expectations for the semiconductor industry grew.A shareholder and a tenant, feeling the deepest sense of relative deprivation from up close In this situation, the relative deprivation Lim feels can only grow stronger.As the share prices of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix rise, Lim, as a shareholder, gets to share in part of the gains.
At the same time, bonuses for company employees grow larger, and that money flows into apartments in Dongtan, Suji, and Bundang, pushing home prices even higher.
The blue streak that once made his heart sink faded sooner than expected, and with the issue of Samsung Electronics' general strike put on hold, his account is still posting strong returns. That feeling, however, quickly collapsed the moment he checked the real estate news.
Even without an absolute loss, when someone else's gain is structurally tied to my own loss, the sense of helplessness a person feels runs much deeper than simple envy .
The blue streak that once made his heart sink faded sooner than expected, and with the issue of Samsung Electronics' general strike put on hold, his account is still posting strong returns. That feeling, however, quickly collapsed the moment he checked the real estate news.For Lim, a tenant, rising home prices are less a benefit than a threat.When the jeonse contract comes up for renewal, the landlord may demand a higher deposit or ask to switch to monthly rent based on the higher market price.If the landlord decides to sell, extending the contract may not even be possible.According to Real Estate R114 on the 20th, apartment sales transactions in Dongtan in the first quarter of this year totaled 2,283, up 112% from 1,076 in the same period last year, while the number of jeonse listings is gradually declining."I was going to sell stocks and buy a house, but home prices are rising even faster" .
Retail investors' dilemma over asset allocation "Seeing the bonuses at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix makes me not even want to go to work," "My 10 years of salary is just one bonus payment? The sense of relative deprivation is huge," "The saying that you should save your salary and buy a house feels meaningless now," "The bull market was nice, but in Korea, apartments still seem to be the answer.
The blue streak that once made his heart sink faded sooner than expected, and with the issue of Samsung Electronics' general strike put on hold, his account is still posting strong returns. That feeling, however, quickly collapsed the moment he checked the real estate news.
" Lim said he sympathized with the reactions flooding online communities, but he is also deeply worried that he cannot buy a home right away.
The blue streak that once made his heart sink faded sooner than expected, and with the issue of Samsung Electronics' general strike put on hold, his account is still posting strong returns. That feeling, however, quickly collapsed the moment he checked the real estate news.He lamented that he had planned to add the money he earned from stocks and buy a place of his own within three to four years, but the pace of home price increases seems much faster.
Still, he added that he feels he has no choice but to keep investing in stocks.In the end, only his stock account, whose returns keep rising, offered him any comfort.I don't want to become someone who keeps saying, 'I should have bought, I should have sold,' but even today it ends up being, 'Should have bought, should have sold, should have held.
The blue streak that once made his heart sink faded sooner than expected, and with the issue of Samsung Electronics' general strike put on hold, his account is still posting strong returns. That feeling, however, quickly collapsed the moment he checked the real estate news.
' Stocks, real estate, and money management all seem to be working out for everyone except me.No matter how much you study, the world of investing is hard.If you want to receive this column, [World of Retail Investors], more conveniently, please subscribe to the reporter page.We also welcome tips from retail investors who have investment stories they would like to share.
The blue streak that once made his heart sink faded sooner than expected, and with the issue of Samsung Electronics' general strike put on hold, his account is still posting strong returns. That feeling, however, quickly collapsed the moment he checked the real estate news.bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter