Why All Roads Lead to Budongsan

Hey cuz,

Let me tell you something I wish you knew on Day 1.

If you’ve ever felt like the internet betrayed you while house-hunting here…
or every search somehow funneled you into a tired realtor ahjussi…
Yeah. I felt that too. kkk

In Korea, all roads lead to Budongsan because someone has to carry the risk.
And that someone isn’t you.
It isn’t the landlord either.

Come on. Let’s walk, ya.

The Real Reason You Keep Ending Up with a Budongsan Agent

You probably started like everyone does:
Naver, Dabang, Zigbang.
(We’ll break these platforms down in a future letter.)

You scroll.
You tap.
You call the number on the listing.

And every single time…
a Budongsan guy picks up.

He half-explains the place (not very confidently),
then immediately pivots into asking about your budget & date.
Kinda testing your intent, you know?

And 9 times out of 10, you hang up thinking:
Wait… so am I seeing that unit or not?
Because somehow, you still didn’t get a tour booked.

It doesn’t feel so straight, ya..

So then you try the “direct deal” platforms like Peterpanz, Danggeun.
Still a Budongsan guy on the other end, doing the same drill. kkk

You’re standing there wondering:
“Why are there so many gatekeepers?”
“Where are all the simple ‘For Rent’ signs like back home?”
“Am I doing something wrong?”

It feels messy and unnecessary.

You ask around why, the best answer you hear is "this is just how it's done here."

But cuz, here’s the part the internet or locals can never tells you:
Korea built its rental system around shifting risk off the tenant (and off the landlord too).
And the people who absorb that risk are Budongsan brokers/agents.

That’s why every path keeps circling back to them.

Small Offices, Big Responsibility

A Budongsan is typically a small neighborhood office: one broker, one assistant (and a tray of those cheap instant coffee mix sticks). kkk

But their legal responsibility is massive.

Every Budongsan realtor (broker & agent) (공인중개사):

• must pass a national qualification exam
• must register a physical office with the government
• must carry mandatory professional liability insurance that covers at least ₩200m in damages if anything goes wrong
• is legally accountable for details in the contract, avoiding representation and preventing fraud.

In other words:
if they mess up, they pay (their insurance pays, to be exact).
Not you.
And Korea made it quite easy for the tenant to claim it.

That’s the quiet power of this whole "mandatory middleman" system.

And I can say this with full honesty because…
I was one of them. (God bless.. my office is deactivated now.)

Korea knows tenants only step into the rental market a handful of times in a decade.
Most don’t know the rules, the risks, or the legal traps.

So the system leans toward protecting you.
By making the broker carry the liability.

Almost Every Rental Goes Through a Budongsan

Even when the landlord and tenant know each other, they still walk into a Budongsan for the contract.

Because they want:

• accuracy on what they get for what
• legal compliance
• and they want someone to go after if anything goes sideways

Without this, if one side disappears, no one gets compensated.
("compensated" is a different animal than "legally protected," ya)

And in Korea, where deposits can be massive (6 to 20 months of rent, sometimes more) nobody wants to hold the bag alone.

Brokers absorb the legal shock.
Tenants get protected.
Landlords get pressure lifted off their shoulders.

This is why “direct deals” rarely stay direct.
One wrong clause and a deposit can vaporize.

So both sides quietly think:

“Let the Budongsan be responsible.
This is what their insurance is for.”

And because of that role, brokers naturally screen out shady landlords and sketchy tenants.
One mistake can jack up their insurance premium and even suspend their license.
No wonder some of them pick up your calls half in doubt.
(many realtors never dealt with foreign nationals)

It’s by design.

Where the Frustration Comes From

This is the part that throws fresh-off-the-plane expats off the cliff a little.

Back home, digital platforms usually fix pain by removing the middleman.
But in Korea, platforms don’t replace the brokers.
They empower them.

Every listing you see is represented by a Budongsan.
And platforms basically put up digital billboards for the gatekeepers.

But here’s the twist:

It’s the Budongsans who bend this system the most.
Not to scam you, but to compete with each other.

A lot of offices advertise their office through fake or outdated listings,
so they can get you on the phone…
bring you into their chair…
and then upsell you to something in their actual inventory.
(I’ll break this down properly in the next letter.)

So when you come in with instincts from the West where apps simplify the process...
Korea feels backward. Or just plain nonsensical. kkk

But once you see the logic, the frustration lightens.

What This Means for You, Cuz

Here’s the gift inside all this confusion:

Once you understand that Budongsan exists to carry the risk for you, you can finally start actively using the system.

You can relax.
You can stop trying to outsmart it.
You can stop thinking locals have some secret trick you’re missing.
You can stop worrying about shady landlords.

All you need to do is ask your agent the right, crucial questions, signaling you understand their full role.
They will run extra miles not to mess up.

The system is built to protect you.
Just… not in the way you expected.

The next corner, we’ll look at the one gimmick that still trips people up:
fake listings.

Why they happen, and how to sidestep them without losing your sanity.

Stay close. More soon, cuz.

--Cousin JK