The size of individual financial assets in Korea accounts for about 1,700 trillion won. Individual assets related to real estate amounts to about 3,000 trillion won. The proportion of the real estate assets of the household accounts for 81% as well an...
The size of individual financial assets in Korea accounts for about 1,700 trillion won. Individual assets related to real estate amounts to about 3,000 trillion won. The proportion of the real estate assets of the household accounts for 81% as well and for about four times of 19%, the weight of the financial assets of the households. Like this, no country would be as greatly interested in real estate assets as Korea. But compared to this concern, the Korean real estate investment environment is backward, and the property-related investment products are not diverse. Fortunately, the real estate fund emerged as diverse product of indirect investment in real estate that can be invested at small amount in the real estate investment market as the indirect investment product market represented by the fund has been revitalized since 2004. But the increase and development of real estate funds are not so great as Korean people's interest in real estate compared to the sustained increase and development of other fund products.
Accordingly this study attempted to investigate through empirical analysis why Korean people are so greatly interested in real estate funds as real estate with a focus on this problem, elicit its problem and consider the real estate fund revitalization scheme. Empirical analysis of the contents relating to the real estate fund revitalization scheme was conducted for the investor at large. A total of 450 questionnaires were distributed and 414 questionnaires of them were returned. 391 questionnaires, the effective number of samples, were used for analysis. And the spatial scope was confined to Seoul that can most represent Korea.
The results of empirical analysis suggests that there are still many tasks to be solved in order to revitalize the real estate fund in Korea.
First, the part that should most urgently be resolved for the purpose of real estate fund revitalization is to expanding the base of real estate funds. Most responding investors at large had almost no experience in investment in the real estate fund and had a very low understanding of it. And over half of the respondents said that they would not invest in the real estate fund though they may have the better financial status in the future. To resolve this problem, the real estate fund should actively be made known to investors at large, and more opportunities should be provided for them to meet the real estate fund through diverse distribution channels for real estate funds.
Second, it is necessary to develop diverse and competitive real estate fund products. With the enforcement of the「Capital Market Integration Law」in 2009, it has been made possible to develop and operate the diverse and competitive real estate fund products. Competitive real estate funds should have competitiveness in both the rate of return and stability because they should compete with other fund products and real estate direct investment. To resolve this problem, it is necessary to develop the real estate index and train and educate the specialized manpower of real estate operation.
Finally, it is necessary that government should provide active support. At present, investors at large do not feel any attraction about investment in real estate fund. Accordingly, this part should be resolved by the active support of government, which include preemptive support for the profitable and good real estate products and the tax favor for real estate fund such as the tax privilege for long-term stock-type funds.