Korea’s rental system will break your brain. It’s called 전세 (jeon-se). You give your landlord a deposit worth 50-80% of the apartment’s value (around $150K–$300K+ in Seoul.) Then you pay zero rent for 2 years. When you leave, you get every won back. The landlord basically invests your deposit and keeps the returns. You’re essentially giving them an interest free loan in exchange for free housing. It’s genuinely brilliant when it works. The key major issue being deposit fraud, which become a serious problem. Some landlords disappear with the money or can’t return it when property values drop. The government now requires deposit insurance to protect tenants. It’s one of the most fascinating housing systems in the world. And also one of the riskiest.