Despite government efforts to quell the heated housing market, apartment prices in Seoul rose for the 54th consecutive week in the third week of February.

According to data from the Korea Real Estate Board on Friday, the figure increased zero-point-15 percent, continuing an upward trend that began over a year ago.

But the on-week rise slowed for the third straight week, with the margin having already dropped from zero-point-31 percent in the fourth week of January to zero-point-27 percent in the first week of February and zero-point-22 percent in the second week of February.

The slowed growth stood out in the affluent Seoul districts of Gangnam, Seocho and Songpa, where the margin of increase ranged between zero-point-01 percent and zero-point-06 percent.

Though growth rates in the mid- to low-priced areas of Seongbuk, Gwanak, Dongdaemun and Guro also slowed in the third week, the margins were higher than the citywide average.

Prices in Gyeonggi Province rose zero-point-08 percent, but the pace of growth declined zero-point-05 percentage point from the previous week.