Housing Issues

[Anchor Lead]

A growing number of young Koreans in their 20s and 30s are suffering from housing problems, with many having no other choice but to live in harsh conditions.

[Pkg]

This 25-year-old man moved to Seoul three months ago to prepare for a public service exam. He rents a room in the basement of a mini-studio apartment building.

[Soundbite] Mini-studio apartment resident : "I made this in place of a window. This place looks better this way."

With zero windows in the 10-square-meter apartment, the first thing that this man sees in the morning is not the sunshine but artificial lighting. He spends most of his time in this tiny apartment, studying and having meals. The 300,000-won monthly rent makes up half of his living expenses. He cannot even think of moving to a nicer place.

[Soundbite] Mini-studio apartment resident : "I had to move to this mini-studio apartment because the rent is cheaper. It's hard to study far from home in such a tiny room."

More than 22 percent of young people nationwide have to live in squalid conditions by renting rooms in the basement, on rooftops and in mini-studio apartment buildings known as "gosiwon."
In Seoul, the percentage reaches 40 percent because of the high housing prices. Ahn Jung-hoon, who works part-time for a broadcasting company, rents a semi-basement room for 460,000 won a month. It is slightly more spacious than the mini-studio apartment he used to rent before, but the inside of his room can be easily seen from outside. His goal for next year is to move to a well-lit place that is free of mold.

[Soundbite] Ahn Jung-hoon : "The room should at least be big enough for me to sit down and watch TV. I would like to live above the ground so that no one can bother me with noise outside."

Half of single people in Korea cite the housing problem as the biggest stumbling block in getting married.