Uncertainty is growing over South Korea's differentiated tax treatment of single-home owners who do not live in their properties, after Deputy Prime Minister nominee Lee Hyung-il said it is difficult to conclude that a rebuilding home represents speculative demand solely because its owner has not occupied it. The government's tax code revision bill would phase out the holding-period portion of the long-term holding special deduction for non-occupants by 2029, while granting an 8% annual deduction capped at 1 billion won only to owners who live in the home. Debate is emerging over whether that reduction should be delayed or slowed. If the comprehensive real estate holding tax (property tax on high-value real estate) is finalized as proposed, tax on a single home assessed at 3 billion won and not occupied by its owner would rise by 4.291 million won to 12.038 million won next year. Separately, the National Tax Service will calculate in advance whether the special provision benefits married couples who jointly own one home, notify them, and refund past overpayments. The special provision provides a 1.2 billion won deduction from the officially assessed price, followed by age- and holding-period-based credits; declining it provides each spouse with a 900 million won basic deduction, or 1.8 billion won combined. The agency estimates that about 5,700 taxpayers would benefit from applying, while about 2,900 existing applicants would benefit from cancellation. Applications or cancellations are available from the 16th to the 30th of this month, with another opportunity to choose the more favorable method when filing the regular December return. In Seoul's rebuilding market, Samsung C&T won the 512.2 billion won Mokhwa apartment project in Yeouido and is seen as likely to become the sole bidder for the 2 trillion won Sibeom project. Hyundai Engineering & Construction, DL E&C and GS Engineering & Construction are securing major Mokdong projects, while Complex 7, with 4,335 units, and Complex 14, with 5,123 units, have attracted multiple potential bidders. Other developments include resident opposition to a planned 1,000-unit public housing site at Yeomchang neighborhood park, financial retrenchment by trust companies after project-financing losses, and 11,521 homes opening for applications at 10 complexes in the third week of September.