Pyeong to m²: Why Korea Still Uses Both
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The history of pyeong as a unit, how metric conversion works, why Korean real estate persists in using pyeong despite metrication laws, and how to read listings
Walk into any Korean real estate office, open any apartment listing on Naver Real Estate, or listen to any conversation about Korean housing, and you will encounter the pyeong (평) — an area unit derived from Japanese colonial-era measurement standards that Korea officially abolished in 2007 but that the housing industry uses almost exclusively to this day. Understanding what a pyeong is, how to convert it to square meters, and how to read Korean apartment specifications accurately is indispensable for anyone navigating the Korean property market.
What Is a Pyeong?
One pyeong is defined as the area of a square with sides of 6 Japanese shaku (尺), which translates to approximately 3.305785 square meters. It was the standard unit for floor area in Korea throughout the Japanese colonial period (1910–1945) and continued in common use long after liberation.
The Korean government formally banned the use of pyeong and other non-metric units in commercial and official contexts in 2007, requiring square meters in all official documents. However, real estate agents, apartment developers, and buyers continued using pyeong informally, and the government effectively stopped enforcing the ban after a period of confusion. Today, it is legal to use pyeong in real estate contexts, and virtually all Korean real estate conversation and advertising uses it primarily.
The Conversion You Need to Know
The exact relationship:
1 평 (pyeong) = 3.30579 m² 1 m² = 0.30250 평
For quick mental calculation, 1 pyeong ≈ 3.3 m² is sufficiently accurate for most purposes. The reverse — m² to pyeong — is approximately m² ÷ 3.3.
Common apartment sizes in both units:
| Pyeong | Square Meters | Typical Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10평 | 33 m² | Studio / 원룸 |
| 18평 | 59 m² | Small 2-bedroom (투룸) |
| 24평 | 79 m² | Mid-size 2–3 bedroom |
| 30평 | 99 m² | Standard 3-bedroom |
| 40평 | 132 m² | Larger 3-bedroom |
| 50평 | 165 m² | Large 4-bedroom or luxury |
| 84평 | 277 m² | Large luxury apartment |
Use our Pyeong Converter calculator to convert any value instantly and precisely.
전용면적 vs 공급면적: The Critical Distinction
Korean apartment listings always specify area in two ways, and confusing them is a common and expensive mistake:
전용면적 (Jeon-yong, exclusive area): The floor area inside your apartment walls that is exclusively yours — living rooms, bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom. This is the space you actually live in.
공급면적 (Gong-geup, supply area): The total floor area including your exclusive area plus your proportionate share of the building's shared spaces — hallways, lobby, stairwells, elevator shafts, security room. This is what the developer uses in marketing and is always larger than the exclusive area.
In Korean real estate, when someone says "30평 아파트," they typically mean 30 pyeong of 공급면적. The actual living space (전용면적) might be 23–25 pyeong. The ratio of exclusive area to supply area is called the 전용률 (exclusive ratio), which for Korean apartments typically ranges from 70% to 80%.
Why this matters: A "25평" apartment advertised on Naver Real Estate has an exclusive area of approximately 82 m², but 82/3.3 = 24.8 pyeong of 전용면적. If you compare this to a foreign country's 82 m² apartment, you are comparing equivalent living spaces — but the Korean listing will say "25평" while the foreign listing says "82 m²."
Reading Apartment Listings Accurately
A typical Korean apartment listing might read: "OO아파트 전용 59.99㎡ / 공급 85.00㎡ / 18층 / 남향"
Translation: exclusive area 59.99 m² (approximately 18.2평 exclusive), supply area 85.00 m² (approximately 25.7평 supply), 18th floor, south-facing.
When brokers quote "25평," they almost always mean the 공급면적. When calculating whether a space fits your furniture or your lifestyle, use the 전용면적 in square meters.
The 평당 (Per-Pyeong) Price Calculation
Korean real estate prices are almost universally quoted in 평당 price (price per pyeong), usually applied to the 공급면적:
평당 가격 = 총 매매가 ÷ 공급면적(평)
If an apartment sells for 800M won and is 25.7평 (supply), the 평당 price is 800M / 25.7 = approximately 31.1M won per pyeong.
This metric is used constantly for comparing apartments across different building sizes and locations. When a neighbor mentions that the "강남 아파트 평당 8천 만원이래," they are saying that a typical apartment in that area is selling at 80M won per pyeong of supply area — a meaningful data point for benchmarking property value.
Understanding pyeong conversion, the 전용 vs 공급 distinction, and the 평당 price framework gives you the vocabulary to participate in Korean real estate conversations and make well-informed property decisions.