Ulsan opens applications for global real estate agency scheme to increase foreign language support

Ulsan will designate 10 additional global real estate agencies where brokerage services can be provided in foreign languages.

Ulsan City Hall in Nam District, Ulsan [ULSAN METROPOLITAN CITY GOVERNMENT]

Ulsan will designate 10 additional global real estate agencies where brokerage services can be provided in foreign languages.

Ulsan will be accepting applications from real estate agents that want to be certified as a global real estate agency, the city announced Sunday. The city aims to get applications from agents that can use either English, Japanese, Chinese or Vietnamese.

Global real estate agencies are agencies that offer brokerage services in languages not just Korean, but also in other foreign languages, with the certification issued by local governments.

There are 30 global real estate agencies in Ulsan, but the city aims to diversify its language offerings by adding 10 more to the list. Currently, certified agencies in Ulsan mostly offer services in English, Japanese and Chinese.

To be eligible, real estate agencies need to have been in business in Ulsan for at least a year and have received no penalties within the past two years based on the Licensed Real Estate Agents Act.

Applications are accepted at Ulsan City Hall or the offices of Ulsan's counties and districts by August 30.

Of the real estate agents that pass the document screening stage, Ulsan will be assessing their language proficiency through an additional interview.

The global real estate agencies will be given a certificate by the city, and will be able to hang a sign that shows they are certified. A list of the city's global real estate agencies can also be found on the Ulsan city website.

"We plan to do our best to improve daily lives of foreign residents, starting with helping them get a house, which is one of the first things they do when they start to live in Ulsan," said a spokesperson for Ulsan.

Ulsan also announced it will work with the Ulsan Support Center for Foreign Residents to offer language support during real estate transactions. The service will be offered in 17 languages, aiming to help residents that can't speak English, Chinese or Japanese. The service will be introduced around October.

Ulsan isn't the only city designating global real estate agencies for foreign residents.

Seoul was the first city to do so in 2008, currently having 221 global real estate agencies certified by the city. Busan has 74, Suwon has 68 and Daegu has 13. Information about the designated agencies can be found on each city's website.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]