Celebrities Favor Gangnam Luxury Condos

Actor Jung Woo-sung is moving into a luxury condominium in the affluent Gangnam area of southern Seoul where his friend and fellow actor Lee Jung-jae has already bought a unit.

Advertisement

The condo, currently under construction, is in Samseong-dong. It stands 16 stories high and contains only 18 units between 155 and 293 sq.m. Units cost between W2 billion and W5.5 billion (US$1=W1,151).

Construction is set to be completed in September.

"A popular singer is also set to move in", claimed a staffer with the developer. "Half the units are sold".

The staffer said celebrities favor luxury condos due to the security and privacy they offer. This brand-new condo is being equipped with a state-of-the-art security system whose surveillance cameras alert in-house personnel if an intruder is spotted, while illegally parked or idling cars nearby are monitored around the clock.

The building has been designed so residents do not run into each other in hallways while waiting for the elevator.

Jeong and Lee are not the only celebrities who have chosen to live in luxury condos in Gangnam. Among the others are celebrity couple Jang Dong-gun and Ko So-young, actor Lee Seung-gi and comedian Lee Hwi-jae. Actresses Song Yoon-ah, Han Chae-young and Choi Ji-woo, as well as veteran singer Cho Young-nam live in the trendy Cheongdam-dong area of southern Seoul.

"Celebrities prefer privacy over profiting from real estate sales, so they flock to condos in Samseong-dong and Cheongdam-dong", said an estate agent.