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Korea's Rural Empty House Bank: How It Works (2026)

By the RuralRoof Editorial Team · Last updated 2026-10-16 · 5 official sources

Korea has its own answer to Japan's akiya banks. Since August 2025, the agriculture ministry has run a rural empty house bank (농촌빈집은행) that turns surveyed vacant homes into real listings.

The scheme is small, local and easy to misread. This guide covers how it works, which counties take part in 2026, what its own numbers show, and what to check before you trust a listing.

Quick Answer:
  • The bank lists rural vacant homes whose owners agreed to sell or rent, through a licensed agent, on 그린대로 and private platforms such as 디스코 and 한방 [1].
  • 32 counties take part in 2026, up from 21 in 2025, including Hongcheon, Chuncheon and Pyeongchang in Gangwon, according to MAFRA [1] [2].
  • In its first year about 160 homes were listed and 45 deals were completed, according to MAFRA's June 2026 release [1].
  • A 빈집 is a rural house nobody has lived in or used for at least a year (Rural Community Improvement Act Art. 2), so check water, sewage and title before you visit [3].

What is Korea's rural empty house bank?

A MAFRA programme that turns surveyed rural vacant homes into listings. Owners give consent, and a local licensed agent registers and brokers the home [1].

The agent lists each home on the government platform 그린대로 and on private property platforms such as 디스코 and 한방. Buyers and renters compare listings by area in one place [1].

The service started in August 2025, according to MAFRA. The ministry's June 2026 release describes it as support for private trading of rural empty homes, not a government sale [1].

“The empty house bank supports regional partner licensed agents to register vacant-house information on private property platforms and the government's 그린대로 platform, and to broker the deal, after the owner consents to share the information.”

What counts as an empty house (빈집) in Korea?

A rural house or building that nobody has lived in or used for at least one year, counted from the date the county confirmed it (Rural Community Improvement Act Art. 2(12)) [3].

Counties must survey their empty houses (Art. 64-2). The survey covers location, how long each home has stood empty, the owner and rights, and the buildings and structures on the plot [3].

MAFRA's bank builds on that survey. According to the release attachment, surveyed homes receive a grade for age and condition, and the results are kept in the 빈집정보시스템 [2].

Which counties take part in 2026?

32 counties and cities, as of June 2026. MAFRA was recruiting more from 29 June to 10 July 2026, with new counties joining from August [1] [2].

Participating counties and cities, June 2026, according to MAFRA [2]
ProvinceCounties and cities
GangwonPyeongchang, Hwacheon, Hongcheon, Chuncheon, Samcheok
ChungbukJincheon, Chungju, Jecheon, Okcheon
ChungnamSeosan, Gongju, Yesan, Hongseong, Nonsan, Seocheon
JeonnamMuan, Gangjin, Damyang, Yeosu, Yeongam, Wando, Haenam
GyeongnamNamhae, Jinju, Geochang, Uiryeong, Hapcheon
OthersUlju (Ulsan), Icheon (Gyeonggi), Buan (Jeonbuk), Yecheon (Gyeongbuk), Jeju

Gyeonggi has a single participant, Icheon. For a weekend house near Seoul, the bank therefore covers little; Gangwon and Chungcheong carry most of the nearby supply.

How many homes are actually listed and sold?

Few so far. According to MAFRA, about 160 homes were registered in the bank's first year, and 45 deals were completed [1].

Spread across 21 to 32 counties, that averages about five homes per county over the year. In practice, expect to watch a county's listings for months rather than choose among dozens.

The bank's own numbers, according to MAFRA's June 2026 release [1]
MeasureFigure
Service startedAugust 2025
Participating counties, 202521
Participating counties, June 202632
Homes registered in the first yearAbout 160
Deals completed in the first year45
Key Takeaway: Treat the bank as one source of rural listings in 32 counties, not as a national catalogue. Its value is that every home went through a county survey and an owner's consent.

How do you search the bank and contact an agent?

Through 그린대로 or a private platform. Each listing is handled by the county's partner licensed agent, who arranges viewings and brokers the deal [1] [4].

  1. Open 그린대로 (greendaero.go.kr) and go to the empty house bank listings [4].
  2. Filter by the province and county you want, and by sale or rent [4].
  3. Note the lot number (지번) and run the public-record checks before you visit.
  4. Contact the listed partner agent to arrange a viewing [1].
  5. Before any deposit, confirm water, sewage, road access and title on site.
Pro Tip: The same listings also appear on private platforms such as 디스코 and 한방, so you can search there by area as well [1].

What will an empty house listing not tell you?

Whether the house is ready to live in, or even legal to rebuild. A home empty for a year or more has had no one running the water, heating or drains [3].

The county survey records condition and rights, but it is not a buyer's inspection. However good the photos, run the same record checks you would on any rural house.

  • Road access: is the plot 맹지 (landlocked)? See the landlocked land guide.
  • Title: do the registry and building register agree on owner, area and structures?
  • Farmland: is part of the plot farmed, needing a farmland certificate?
  • Water and sewage: is there a registered well and a septic system?
Warning: An empty house may have several heirs as co-owners. To sell the whole house, every co-owner must agree (Civil Act Art. 264), so check the registry for shared (지분) ownership before you negotiate [5].

The full method is in the rural house checklist. To see the public records for a specific address, use address search or browse rural listings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the rural empty house bank free houses?

No. It lists homes for sale or rent at prices the owners set, through licensed agents. The ministry supports the listing and brokering, not the price [1].

Is Hongcheon in the empty house bank?

Yes. Hongcheon is one of five Gangwon participants in MAFRA's June 2026 list, with Pyeongchang, Hwacheon, Chuncheon and Samcheok [2].

How long must a house be empty to count as 빈집?

At least one year without anyone living in or using it, counted from the county's check (Rural Community Improvement Act Art. 2(12)) [3].

Where do I find empty house bank listings?

On 그린대로 (greendaero.go.kr) and on private platforms such as 디스코 and 한방, where the partner agents register them [1] [4].

How many empty houses have sold through the bank?

45 deals in the first year, out of about 160 registered homes, according to MAFRA's June 2026 release [1].

Can I rent a home through the empty house bank?

Yes. MAFRA's release describes the bank as serving people who want to buy or rent rural empty homes, and listings can be compared by area on 그린대로 [1] [4].

Will more counties join the bank?

MAFRA recruited more counties from 29 June to 10 July 2026, with new participants starting from August 2026 [1].

Related articles

General information, checked against the official sources below on the date shown. No sponsored content: no office, organization, agent or seller named here paid for or reviewed this page. Rules change, so confirm with the office named or a specialist (a licensed agent or a lawyer) before you sign.

Sources

  1. [1]농식품부, 농촌 빈집은행 참여 시·군 추가 모집 시작 (press release, 2026-06-28) · Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) · accessed 2026-10-16
  2. [2]Same release, attachment: 농촌 빈집은행 개요 and 참여지역 현황 (32 시·군) · MAFRA · accessed 2026-10-16
  3. [3]농어촌정비법 (Rural Community Improvement Act), Arts. 2(12), 64-2 (in force 2026-09-11) · Korea Ministry of Government Legislation (law.go.kr) · accessed 2026-10-16
  4. [4]그린대로 (government return-to-farm platform, 빈집은행 listings) · MAFRA · accessed 2026-10-16
  5. [5]민법 (Civil Act), Art. 264 · Korea Ministry of Government Legislation (law.go.kr) · accessed 2026-10-16