Broadcaster Kim Gura [Newsis]
Broadcaster Kim Gura [Newsis]

Broadcaster Kim Gura said he sold an apartment in Cheongna at a loss after holding it for 15 years.

On Friday, Kim appeared on his YouTube channel "Geurigura" and said he had sold the Cheongna property last year after holding onto it for years. "I kept the Cheongna place and just sold it last year," he said. "I put in about 850 to 860 million won ($521,000), including balcony expansion work in 2011, and after 15 years I lost 30 to 40 million won — so yes, I took a loss."

Kim said the setback was manageable given his returns in the stock market. "I made money on stocks, so I'm fine. Right now, half the people in the greater Seoul area are in the same boat as me," he said. Kim purchased Samsung Electronics shares at around 45,000 won ($29) per share and held them long-term. Based on a closing price of 337,500 won, his estimated return stands at roughly 650 percent.

Kim said he has been moving money between the two asset classes. "Lately I've been reinvesting stock profits into real estate, and also shifting money recovered from real estate back into the stock market," he said. "Some major companies like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix give you the same sense of stability as prime Gangnam real estate."

He also suggested that investors who have profited from stocks could push up home prices if they move their money into real estate. "The US stocks I hold have risen a lot, so my portfolio valuation is at an all-time high," Kim said. "But everything except Samsung Electronics and SK hynix is falling. That's why I feel like now you really have to go with only the stocks that are actually going to go up."


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