Why Is an 84㎡ Apartment Called 34 Pyeong in Korea?

One pyeong is about 3.3057㎡, and conversely 1㎡ is about 0.3025 pyeong. So multiplying 84㎡ by 0.3025 gives roughly 25.4 pyeong. 59㎡ is about 17.8 pyeong.

There is also a quick estimate. Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport suggests dropping the last digit of the ㎡ figure and multiplying by 3. For 84㎡, you multiply 8 by 3 and guess 24 pyeong. It isn't exact, but it's enough to get a feel for the size.

The 59㎡ and 84㎡ you see in Korean apartment sale notices are exclusive areas. They cover the living room, bedrooms, kitchen and bathrooms inside the front door that only your household uses. Balconies are not included in any of the areas.

Add the residential common area shared with other people in the same building, such as stairs, elevators and hallways, and you get the supply area. For an apartment with an 84㎡ exclusive area, the supply area is usually around 110㎡, and converting that to pyeong gives 33 to 34 pyeong. The exact size differs from complex to complex.

From July 2007, Korea made legal units mandatory, so real estate areas had to be written in ㎡ instead of pyeong. But back when pyeong was used, apartment size was mostly stated as supply area, while today, with ㎡, it is stated as exclusive area.

In effect, the range being measured changed along with the unit. So the 34 pyeong people still say out of old habit and the 84㎡ written in today's notices are used side by side, making the same home sound like two completely different numbers.

A common misconception is that 34 pyeong means the inside of the home is 34 pyeong. The space where you actually put your furniture and belongings is the exclusive area, roughly 70 to 80 percent of the supply area. If the balcony has been extended into the living space, the home may actually feel larger.

When comparing listings, first check whether the number given is exclusive area or supply area. For officetels, the sale area is often stated as contract area, so even with the same number the inside can be much smaller than an apartment's.