Combined household income of 60 million won and a home priced at 500 million won or less is the base band for Korea's Didimdol home purchase loan. Above that — up to 85 million won of income and a 600 million won home — sits Bogeumjari-ron. The border between the two schemes is drawn on income and house price at once, and crossing either one changes which counter you go to.
The limits published on MyHome Portal for Didimdol are 200 million won in general, 240 million for first-time buyers, and 320 million for newlyweds or households with two or more children. Per Korea Housing Finance Corporation, Bogeumjari opens up to 360 million won, or 420 million for first-time buyers. Rates run 2.85–4.15% for Didimdol and 3.90–4.20% for the Akkim-e version of Bogeumjari.
On headline numbers Didimdol wins on rate and Bogeumjari on size. What actually separates them only appears once your own house price and income go in.
Four places where eligibility splits
Four items need comparing: income, net assets, house price and floor area. Didimdol sets a bar on all four; Bogeumjari, per the corporation's guidance, gates mainly on price and income.
| Item | Didimdol home purchase loan | Bogeumjari-ron |
|---|---|---|
| Combined annual income | 60M won or less (70M for first-time buyers and 2+ children, 85M for newlyweds) | 85M won or less (preferential rates capped at 70M) |
| Net assets | 511M won or less, combined | No asset test in the corporation's guidance |
| House price | 500M won or less (600M for newlyweds and 2+ children) | 600M won or less |
| Floor area | 85㎡ or less (100㎡ in eup/myeon areas) | No area test in the corporation's guidance |
| Loan limit | 200M general / 240M first-time / 320M newlywed or 2+ children | 360M general / 420M first-time |
| LTV · DTI | LTV 70% (80% first-time, 70% in the capital region and regulated zones) · DTI 60% | LTV 70–80% · DTI 40% (10pp lower in regulated zones) |
| Term | 10, 15, 20, 30 years | 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 years |
| Rate | 2.85–4.15% by income band and term | Akkim-e 3.90% (10yr) to 4.20% (50yr) |
The 511 million won net asset test and the 85㎡ area cap exist only on the Didimdol side. Income under 60 million won still gets you nowhere if either of those trips. Terms run the other way: Bogeumjari offers 40 years to newlywed households under 40, and 50 years to borrowers under 35 (under 40 if newlywed), which widens the options where the monthly payment has to be pushed down.
The order in which the limit gets set is identical in both schemes. The smaller of (house price × LTV) and the product cap becomes the ceiling, then DTI is applied on top. It follows the same sequence as the way LTV, DTI and DSR each cut the limit in turn.
How far the limits diverge at the same price
Feeding house prices into those rules exposes the gap. The table below applies LTV of 70% (80% for first-time buyers), compares the result with each product cap, and takes the smaller of the two. DTI is left out because it cuts further depending on income.
| House price | Didimdol, general | Didimdol, first-time | Bogeumjari, general | Bogeumjari, first-time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300M won | 200M | 240M | 210M | 240M |
| 400M won | 200M | 240M | 280M | 320M |
| 500M won | 200M | 240M | 350M | 400M |
| 600M won | Not eligible | Not eligible | 360M | 420M |
At 300 million won the two schemes almost touch — 200 million against 210 million, a 10 million won difference. Here the lower rate simply wins.
The split starts at 400 million. Didimdol's LTV would allow 280 million, but the 200 million product cap stops it there, while Bogeumjari grants the full 280 million: an 80 million won gap. At 500 million it widens to 200 million against 350 million. What this makes plain is that Didimdol is constrained by its product cap, not by LTV.
At 600 million, general and first-time Didimdol are out entirely on the house price test. Newlywed households and those with two or more children have that test relaxed to 600 million, however, so the cells marked "not eligible" can open depending on household type.
What 0.4pp of rate costs over 30 years
The limit decides how much you can borrow; the rate decides what that money costs — and the two schemes lead on opposite axes.
Didimdol rates split by income band and term. On the MyHome schedule, at a 30-year term: 3.10% for income up to 20 million won, 3.45% for 20–40 million, 3.80% for 40–70 million, and 4.15% for 70–85 million. Homes outside the capital region get a 0.2pp reduction.
For Bogeumjari, per a corporation press release, the Akkim-e product runs 3.90% (10 years) to 4.20% (50 years), and preferential rates of up to 1.0pp for low-income young borrowers, newlyweds, socially considered groups and jeonse fraud victims bring the floor down to 2.90–3.20%. Qualify for those and it can undercut Didimdol.
The table converts those rates into payments, using 200 million won repaid over 30 years on equal principal-and-interest instalments.
| Rate (%) | Where it applies | Monthly payment (won) | Total interest over 30 years (10k won) | vs 3.80% (10k won) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.10 | Didimdol · income ≤20M · 30yr | 853,858 | 10,739 | -2,811 |
| 3.45 | Didimdol · income 20–40M · 30yr | 892,522 | 12,131 | -1,419 |
| 3.80 | Didimdol · income 40–70M · 30yr | 931,940 | 13,550 | baseline |
| 4.15 | Didimdol · income 70–85M · 30yr | 972,239 | 15,001 | +1,451 |
| 4.20 | Bogeumjari Akkim-e, published ceiling | 978,077 | 15,211 | +1,661 |
The bottom two rows differ by 0.05pp and yet total interest moves 2.1 million won. Top to bottom is 1.10pp and 44.72 million won of interest. Note that the 4.20% in the last row is a rate published for a 50-year term applied to a 30-year repayment, so it is not a like-for-like term comparison — read it as a measure of what 0.4pp does to repayment.
The table also shows that Didimdol's rate advantage grows as income falls. Inside a single scheme, 3.10% for the lowest band and 4.15% for the highest are 42.62 million won of interest apart.
When both are open, what decides it
Clear all four bars — income under 60 million, price under 500 million, net assets under 511 million, area under 85㎡ — and the two schemes overlap. Three things settle the choice in that band.
First, whether the loan you need exceeds 200 million won. If not, Didimdol's lower rate is a straight gain. If it does, the cap forces you to cover the shortfall with another loan, and if that carries a higher rate, total interest can flip the other way.
Second, what term you need. If 30 years works, Didimdol stays in play; if the monthly payment has to drop far enough to need 40 or 50 years, only Bogeumjari remains.
Third, which preferential rates you qualify for. Didimdol applies 0.5pp for single-parent households, 0.7pp for three or more children, 0.5pp for two, 0.3pp for one, and 0.2pp each for newlyweds and first-time buyers — none of which stack — while 0.3–0.5pp for five or more years of housing subscription savings and 0.1pp for electronic contracts stack on top. Bogeumjari allows stacking within a 1.0pp maximum. Depending on children and savings history, the advantage flips.
Households with a newborn face a different calculation again. The separately funded newborn special loan sets wider income and limit thresholds than either scheme above, so it is worth laying all three side by side.
Things to check
- Net assets of 511M won — the first gate on a Didimdol application, and where applications that cleared the income test get stopped
- 500M vs 600M on price — newlyweds and households with 2+ children get Didimdol up to 600M. Fix your household type first, then rerun the table
- Your required loan against the 200M line — whether it exceeds the general Didimdol cap is the practical fork between the schemes
- LTV 70% and regulated zones — the 80% first-time figure drops to 70% in the capital region and regulated zones. Confirm where the property sits
- DTI 60% vs 40% — Bogeumjari's DTI is tighter and loses another 10pp in regulated zones, so income can cut the table figures further
- Add up the preferential rates — convert children, subscription savings tenure and electronic contract into percentage points for each scheme, then compare final rates
- The 0.2pp regional reduction — an adjustment on the Didimdol schedule. For a home outside the capital region, rerun the payment table 0.2pp lower