Fierce 43-to-1 Competition for New Apartment, But Elite Athletes Won With "Free Pass"

A newly built apartment complex in Incheon.

Back in 2021, when subscriptions were first offered, about 31,000 people rushed into the first-priority general supply, recording a competition rate of 43 to 1.

However, the situation was different for the "outstanding athlete special supply," where medalists from international sports competitions competed separately among themselves.

Winners are decided based on cumulative points: an Olympic gold medal is worth 90 points, 6th place is 2 points, while gold medals at the Asian Games, Universiade, or CISM World Military Games are worth 10 points, and bronze medals 1 point. In this apartment complex, it was confirmed that 9 applicants applied for 10 special supply units and all received allotments without any competition.

In particular, two of the winners secured the special supply with just a single bronze medal from the Asian Games.

Similar cases were found at other apartment complexes.

At this apartment complex currently under construction with move-ins scheduled for next year, two athletes who won a single Asian Games bronze medal were recommended for the special supply without competition.

This is internal data from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee obtained by SBS.

Over the past five years or so, 72 current and former athletes have received allotments through the special supply across 43 apartment complexes where the "outstanding athlete special supply" was conducted.

More than half of the special supply competition rates were 1 to 1 or lower, and 56% of the athletes who won were selected with scores that included Asian Games achievements.

There were even seven cases where winners were selected with just 1 point, the lowest score, which corresponds to a single bronze medal from the Asian Games or Universiade.

At a large new apartment complex in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, where a 39-square-meter exclusive area unit was traded for 1.85 billion won this year, seven athletes received allotments through the special supply.

[Exclusive] Winning a New Apartment With Just a Bronze Medal... Without Even Competition? (October 15, 2026, 8 News)

(Reported by Kim Kwan-jin | Produced by Yoon Sung-shik | Video by Park Jin-ho and Kang Si-woo | Video Editing by Won Hyung-hee | Design by Kim Han-gil | Data provided by the office of lawmaker Jang Kyung-tae (Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee) | Produced by SBS Digital News)

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