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South Korean real estate asset sales prices have increased due to high liquidity and demand, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, national commercial real estate trading volume was KRW 21.5 trillion ($18.0 billion), an increase of approximately 75 percent (CAGR 12 percent) over the KRW 12.4 trillion ($10.3 billion) seen in 2016.

Compared with other nations, South Korea has weathered the pandemic well and, as a result, has seen increased interest in its property markets from foreign investors. In January, Institutional Real Estate Asia Pacific senior editor Jennifer Molloy spoke with three experts on South Korea.

The economic recovery from COVID-19 restrictions was swift. “When the economy opened after the Delta wave, we were trading 20 percent above 2019 levels for 10 weeks,” said Keith Breslauer, managing director and senior partner of Patron Capital Partners.

Property markets in South Korea can offer solid investment opportunities, but managers need deep knowledge of the local players, the local ESG requirements and the different ways participants in development work together to build properties in this market, according to Brian Chinappi, partner and head of real estate based in Hong Kong, and Scott Choi, director, real estate, based in Seoul, both of Actis.

Rising inflation has caused some investors to question whether real estate still serves as an effective inflation hedge. The answer is a qualified yes, according to Donald Hall, head of research, Americas, for Nuveen Real Estate.

A sponsored report by Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing, 2022 global real estate outlook — Late-cycle investing philosophy comes early, which was published in the March issue of Institutional Real Estate Americas, breaks down the property markets sector by sector to examine the likely effects higher inflation, increased competition for core property assets and accelerating prices will have on global property markets in 2022.

Ongoing supply-chain disruption, continue ecommerce growth and higher construction costs are poised to support the continued strong investment performance for the U.S. institutional-quality industrial sector.

Virtual reality areas, mixed-use offerings and a focus on local, independent retailers could reignite the shopping centre, writes Michael Peter, founder and CEO of P&P Group. The majority of shopping centres in Germany bear the suffix “arcade” or “gallery”.

Growing automation in logistics facilities is raising a number of questions for the sector, writes Stelios Bouras. Robotics, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence are playing a growing role in the operations of logistics sites, forcing investors to make increasingly complicated decisions in what was previously one of the simplest areas of real estate to do business.

Unlisted real estate funds arguably offer a closer experience to investing in the private real estate market directly than listed vehicles such as REITs.

The structural change in consumer behaviour, accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis, has made more consumers embrace the convenience of online shopping.

Singapore-based SC Capital Partners has launched an Asia data-center platform, SC Zeus Data Centers, starting with the development of a hyperscale South Korean facility at an expected cost of $500 million.

Schroders Capital Real Estate Asia Pacific announced a fund it advises has completed the acquisition of a suburban retail property known as Wisteria Mall.

Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (HR) and Healthcare Trust of America (HTA) have agreed to enter into a strategic business combination.

Davlyn Investments and Almanac Realty Investors announced the formation of DA InvestCo (Davlyn), a company dedicated to the acquisition, redevelopment, repositioning and management of multifamily assets in the Western United States.

GI Partners has purchased three new East Coast life science properties.

Corporate Property Associates 18 – Global Incorporated (CPA:18) will be acquired by W. P. Carey.

The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) has released its 2020-2021 Sustainability Report, outlining its investment-return progress as well as its transition to net zero, among other updates.

Aviva Investors has formed a joint-venture partnership with Allianz.

A&E Real Estate has acquired Cunningham Heights in Queens Village, New York.