Korean households to start with are extremely indebted. A household debt runs to about 200% of disposable income in Korea. The huge proportion of South Korean housing loans are floating rates. As soon as the Bank of Korea raises interest rates, you start paying more as a mortgage holder.
The country’s war-torn north-west has been getting far less aid than it needs in the earthquakes’ aftermath. We investigate the dilemma of lifting long-running international sanctions. Housing prices are slipping across the rich world, but South Korea’s unusual property market makes that slide far more perilous. And what three decades’-worth of data reveal about crafting a pop hit.
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