According to Yonhap News,

(SEOUL=Yonhap News) The Seoul city government said Friday it will expand the number of real estate agencies that can cater to foreign customers seeking accommodation facilities in the capital from the present 175 to 220, to reflect a rise in demand.

The "global realty agencies" designated by the metropolitan administration are mainly located in areas where there are many expatriates, in such districts as Yongsan, Gangam, Seocho, Songpa and Mapo.

Some degree of foreign language skill is required for the realtors for customer service. Currently, there are 131 real agencies where English is available, 29 agencies that offer Japanese and five that have Chinese. Eight others use both English and Japanese, according to the city administration.

Those wishing to run a global realty business are required to submit applications by the end of next month after getting the necessary documents from ward offices in Seoul.

Eligibility is limited to those who have been doing realtor work in Seoul for more than one year and have no administrative penalties on their records in recent years.

The real estate agencies, if designated by the city government, will be publicized at the Seoul city global center website (http://global.seoul.go.kr), Seoul city English language homepage (http://www.seoul.go.kr) and Seoul city's realty information plaza website (http://land.seoul.go.kr).

The realty agencies also have information guides at Incheon International Airport, the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and diplomatic missions in South Korea.

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