South Korea's Aug. 13 real estate measures are drawing mounting criticism over a new low-interest mortgage program aimed at younger first-time buyers of non-apartment homes. The planned Youth Future Bogeumjari Loan, to be offered through the Korea Housing Finance Corporation, would support purchases of officetels and villas priced below 400 million won for buyers aged 39 or younger with annual income of 70 million won or less. Eligible homes must be 85 square meters or smaller, and the program allows a loan-to-value ratio of up to 80%. For newlyweds, only one spouse needs to meet the income and age conditions. Officials say the loan is designed as an entry-level housing step rather than a route straight into apartments, which are often far more expensive. The Financial Services Commission said the structure was calibrated so monthly repayments on a 200 million won, 30-year loan at a 3.0% annual rate would be about 850,000 won, close to the roughly 800,000 won average monthly rent for a non-apartment home. The government argues that policy-backed apartment lending already exists through products such as the Bogeumjari loan and special loans for families with newborns. Opposition figures have framed the policy as out of touch with younger households' preferences. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok said it was misleading to present the scheme as a youth housing measure when it applies only to non-apartments. People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo called it "a measure that insults young people," arguing it effectively confines people in their 20s and 30s to lower-tier housing. His criticism echoed survey data from a March report by the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, which found 79.7% of people in their 20s and 30s preferred apartments. The dispute highlights a broader affordability problem in which policymakers are trying to expand access to homeownership without directly solving the gap between youth incomes and apartment prices.