74 Minutes a Day on Crowded Commuter Trains, 27 Hours a Month... Why People Seek Homes Close to Work

[Financial News] The daily commute, a recurring part of the day that demands more energy than anything else, has become a powerful factor shaping where people choose to live.
According to the National Data Agency’s “Analysis of Commuting Patterns Among Workers,” released on the 9th, commuters nationwide spend an average of 73.9 minutes a day traveling to and from work (36.5 minutes on the way to work and 37.4 minutes on the way home). Based on an average of 22 working days a month, that amounts to more than 27 hours spent on the road.
Such excessive commuting times directly reduce leisure and family time and lower quality of life. In a survey of 971 users of a real estate platform, “changing jobs and shortening the commute (40.2%)” was the most frequently cited reason for moving, far surpassing reducing housing costs (17.8%) and moving to a more desirable area (13.1%).
This year, from January to October, all five complexes nationwide with the highest number of first-priority housing subscription applications shared one feature: excellent access between homes and workplaces. These included Hauterre Banpo, Acro de Seocho and Ichon Le EL, all offering convenient access to Seoul’s Gangnam and central business districts, as well as Jinju Panmun District Lake Summit Welga in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, and Elif Seongseong Lake Park 1BL in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, both considered residential areas serving nearby industrial complexes. They all drew strong interest from applicants. Analysts say that as the number of dual-income households rises and more homebuyers prioritize “a life with evenings,” the paradigm for choosing where to live is shifting completely from capital gains to “making time for life.”
Meanwhile, major new housing complexes offering a premium for proximity between home and work will continue to come onto the market before the end of the year.
In Busan, Yeonsan Station Sujain Centrio, located near the administrative complex in Yeonsan-dong, Yeonje District, is preparing to go on sale. Of its 335 units (exclusive areas of 59, 74 and 84 square meters), 139 will be offered for general sale. It boasts a location within walking distance of two transfer stations: Yeonsan Station on Busan Metro Lines 1 and 3, and Busan National University of Education Station on Line 1 and the Donghae Line. In Ulsan, Hillstate Ulsan Station River Foret, located in the KTX Ulsan Station area mixed-use district near Bancheon Industrial Complex, UNIST and Samsung SDI, will be offered for sale. It comprises 436 apartments with an exclusive area of 84 square meters and 298 officetel units. Other projects in the pipeline include The Sharp Cheonan Lac One in Cheonan, Hyeongok Central Atera and Gumi Park One Desian in Gumi, and other complexes near key industrial and administrative hubs in provincial cities.
Complexes set to benefit from proximity between home and work are also moving ahead with sales in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area. Hyosung Heavy Industries will offer Harrington Place Mullae, with 218 units and an exclusive area of 84 square meters, in Mullae-dong, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, offering convenient access to Yeouido, Guro District and Gasan Digital Complex. The development has what is known as a “quadruple station-area location,” with four transit lines accessible on foot: Line 2 at Mullae Station; Line 1 and KTX at Yeongdeungpo Station; Lines 2 and 5 at Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station; and Line 5 at Yeongdeungpo Market Station. LOTTE Engineering & Construction will introduce Seocho LOTTE Castle Art Palace, a complex of 835 units near the legal district in Seocho-dong. POSCO E&C will also continue supplying The Sharp First World Seoul, a residential officetel complex with 308 units and convenient access to Gangnam via Line 7.
Elsewhere, complexes attracting attention for their potential to draw buyers seeking homes close to work include Hanwha Forena Jije Station in Pyeongtaek, located within 5 kilometers of Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus (1,098 units); Gyeonggi Gwangju Station LOTTE Castle Signature Phase 2 in Gwangju, which offers convenient access to Pangyo Station on the Gyeonggang Line (1,249 units); and Elif Siheung The Prime in Siheung, near the Banwol-Sihwa National Industrial Complex (338 units).

[email protected] Jeon Min-gyeong Reporter