"My friend bought a house with help from his parents..." Son's complaint leaves parents saying, "We only worked hard. We're sorry"

[Financial News] A worker's story about feeling relatively deprived amid rising home prices is drawing sympathy from online users.

On the 6th, a post on the online community NOW Talk shared a conversation between a worker and his parents about housing.
The writer, identified as Mr. A, said he had recently argued with his parents after telling them, "I think I need to buy a house."
At the time, his parents told him, "What house are you talking about?" and "Why are you in such a hurry?" and suggested waiting a little longer, but Mr. A could not hide his frustration.
A few days later, he spoke with his parents again and complained, "My friends who received help from their parents bought homes early, and now home prices have risen by hundreds of millions of won. When I see friends who bought homes in areas close to Seoul, such as Hanam-si, Guri, Wangsimni, and Junggye-dong, I feel like I am falling far behind."
After hearing their son's true feelings, his parents said, "We checked home prices for a few days, and we never expected them to rise this much. We are so sorry. It feels like we have done something wrong. We did not know much about real estate or investing. We just worked hard."
In response, Mr. A said, "That is not what I meant. Let's look for the best home we can afford, even if only within our means."

Mr. A, who said he is not married and has about 200 million won in assets, shared his own plan.
He said, "I would like to buy a house in a good location for around 500 million to 550 million won and at least preserve its value. I want to keep investing the rest of my assets steadily in the S&P500 and other assets to grow my wealth little by little."
He added, "For months, I have felt nothing but despair over real estate and stocks, but now I need to get my act together. I plan to visit Byeollae, Dasan, Guri, Pyeongchon New Town, and Junggye-dong in person and look for a home."

As home prices continue to rise and lending rules tighten, the gap in homeownership between people in their 20s and 30s is expected to widen further depending on their parents' financial strength.
According to data analyzed by KREB on July 26, the weighted average purchase price for people in their 20s and 30s who bought homes in Gangnam 3 Districts from January through May this year was about 1.3 billion won.
Looking at their funding sources, the share of "gifts and family loans" was the largest at 22.6%. That is nearly double the 10.6% recorded in 2024.
By contrast, the weighted average purchase price for buyers in their 20s and 30s who bought homes in Seoul's outer districts was about 580 million won, 720 million won lower than in Gangnam 3 Districts, and the share of gifted or inherited funds was only 12%.
Their reliance on loans also differed. The share of bank borrowing among buyers in their 20s and 30s in Gangnam 3 Districts stood at 20.3%, while it reached 53.2% in the outskirts.
Industry experts say this reflects a clear trend in which wealth is being passed down from parents to children.
In general, people in their 20s and 30s are at a stage where they build assets based on income after entering society. But depending on whether they receive financial support from their parents, housing location and the pace of asset accumulation are diverging even within the same generation.
Moreover, with tighter lending regulations such as lower mortgage limits from banks, analysts say this divide is likely to deepen further.
[email protected] An Ga-eul Reporter