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To guard borderlands, Korea opts to screen foreign land purchases on 353 islands
A view of Ulleung Island in North Gyeongsang Province in 2023 / Korea Times file
By Lee Kyung-min
Seeking to safeguard national security and bolster territorial sovereignty, the Korean government said Thursday that it will require non-citizens to obtain prior government approval before purchasing land across 353 remote border islands.
The sweeping measure, announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in close coordination with the National Intelligence Service and the Ministry of National Defense, reflects growing sensitivity in Seoul over foreign ownership in geopolitically delicate maritime zones. The restrictions took effect immediately following the government's announcement.
Under the expanded regulatory framework, foreign nationals attempting to acquire land parcel-by-parcel across these designated border islands must secure permission from local municipal authorities prior to executing acquisition contracts. Municipalities will evaluate each application in consultation with defense and intelligence agencies. Transactions conducted without prior authorization will be declared legally null and void, with violators facing penalties of up to two years in prison or criminal fines reaching 20 million won.
"This designation expands foreign land transaction permit zones to remote border islands that require preemptive management for national defense purposes," said Shin Yoon-geun, director general for land policy at the transport ministry. "It is expected to contribute significantly to strengthening our territorial sovereignty."
The move marks Korea's third and largest expansion of foreign land restrictions in recent years.
In December 2014, Korea designated eight islands serving as baseline points for its territorial waters. In February 2025, authorities added 12 additional islands, including the strategic five West Sea islands situated near the contested northern maritime boundary with Pyongyang. The latest decision dramatically scales up the protective regime, bringing the cumulative total of designated island locations to 378 nationwide.
The newly restricted areas span a combined land mass of more than 184 square kilometers among the 20 largest islands alone. Prominent locations now subject to the mandate include Ulleung Island, a strategic volcanic island in the East Sea covering 72.3 square kilometers; Daeheoksan Island off the southwestern coast (21.2 square kilometers); and Deokjeok Island (20.8 square kms) and Jawol Island (7.1 square kms) off the western coast near Incheon. Popular tourist destinations like Udo off Jeju Island were also included in the directive.
Korean officials have increasingly turned their focus toward monitoring real estate transactions near military installations and coastal frontiers amid escalating security competition in East Asia. As foreign real estate holdings in Korea have climbed over the past decade, defense analysts have urged tighter oversight to prevent foreign entities from acquiring vantage points near critical maritime choke points.
By establishing strict intelligence and defense vetting for island property purchases, government officials say they are moving decisively to insulate its peripheral maritime boundaries against potential security risks and maintain complete territorial authority.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.