PROJECT TO TRANSFORM EMPTY HOUSES

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Empty houses in Korea now account for 10 percent of all houses in the nation. A project has been launched in the city of Incheon to provide empty houses to prospective entrepreneurs.

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This old brick structure was used as a warehouse during the Japanese colonial rule. Recently it has been transformed into a craft beer factory. Local residents welcomed the idea.

[Soundbite] PARK JI-HOON(CEO OF CALIGARI BREWING) : "It could be a tourist attraction or a place where people can learn about history."

This old house in downtown area is full of mold, while its yard is overgrown with weeds. There are some four thousand empty houses in the city of Incheon alone. Nationwide, their number reaches 1.5 million. In other words, 10 percent of houses in Korea are uninhabited. To re-use such empty "ghost" houses, the government of Incheon City launched a pan-national project six months ago. So far, eight ideas have been announced.

[Soundbite] HA EUN-YOUNG(PARTICIPANT) : "Our products that can be used in empty houses include lighting, apps and fairy tales. We have already registered our patents."

One of the ideas is to transform empty houses into spaces for reading where the color of lighting changes according to sound. Other ideas include creating design and print shops or fitness clubs for local residents. The Incheon City government has selected two teams that will be allowed to rent empty houses free of charge over five years and will receive renovation costs amounting to 30 million won. Meanwhile, the central government will announce measures in May on how to reduce the number of empty houses nationwide.