One in 3 newlywed couples in Seoul with dual careers said they both worked in order to afford a house in the city with skyrocketing real estate prices, a study showed this week.

According to the Seoul Institute’s analysis of 2014 data by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on newlyweds’ residential status in Seoul, about 37 percent of couples who have been married less than five years were double-income households.

Of those surveyed, more than half choose to work to pay for housing. About 33 percent of dual-income newlyweds said they were working to save money to buy a house, while some 17 percent said they needed two incomes to pay off their mortgage.

About 15 percent of couples said they needed to work to afford living expenses in Seoul, while some 14 percent said they both work jobs to enjoy an affluent lifestyle. Only about 10 percent cited career reasons for both of them working.

Consequently, the majority of newlyweds in Seoul were most interested in improving their financial condition. About 34 percent said they most wanted to increase their income or wealth, while 9.9 percent and 10.3 percent said their priorities were to purchase a house and pay off the debts, respectively.

While young couples nationwide cited “nurturing kids” as the prime interest in their marriage, the issue ranked second among Seoul’s newlyweds’ priorities in married life -- about 30 percent said raising kids was the major interest in their marriage.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)