'The Two Faces of Incheon Rental Housing'... 10 Solitary Deaths in 5 Years vs. Ownership of Foreign Luxury Cars Worth Tens of Millions

Assemblyman Heo Jongsik: "Efforts Needed Together to Crack Down on High-End Vehicles and Expand Housing Welfare"

Heo Jong-sik, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] It has been revealed that 10 people have died alone in Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) rental housing in Incheon over the past five years. Additionally, there are loopholes in the management of public rental housing, such as tenants paying a monthly rent of 100,000 won driving foreign cars worth over 50 million won.

According to data received on the 23rd from the Housing Management Corporation, a subsidiary of LH, by Heo Jongsik, a member of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea (Incheon Dong-gu Michuhol-gu Gap), a total of 10 elderly people living alone died alone in rental housing in Incheon from 2017 to June of this year.

In 2019 and 2020, one person died alone each year, but the number of deaths increased to four last year when COVID-19 spread.

Over the past 10 years, the number of single elderly households aged 65 or older in permanent rental apartments managed by the Housing Management Corporation has increased by an average of 6.1% annually, predicting that solitary deaths in Incheon’s public rental housing will also worsen.

However, it was found that only one residential welfare worker providing care to prevent solitary deaths among vulnerable groups living in permanent rental housing has been assigned in Incheon.

Moreover, this worker is only deployed on a pilot basis at Incheon Samsan 1 Complex (1,927 households), leaving the entire 6,812 households of permanent rental housing in Incheon virtually in a blind spot for residential welfare.

Meanwhile, from 2019 to June of this year, seven households were evicted from permanent rental, national rental, and Happy Housing in Incheon for owning vehicles exceeding the vehicle registration restriction amount (35 million won). All of these rental houses are located in Namdong-gu.

The evicted households were confirmed to own foreign cars such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Ford, with vehicle values ranging from a minimum of 37.47 million won to a maximum of 55.88 million won.

LH established a policy in July 2017 that households owning cars exceeding 35 million won (vehicle value) in permanent rental, national rental, and Happy Housing would be evicted.

Assemblyman Heo Jongsik emphasized, "The ironic situation where residents who die alone and owners of high-priced foreign cars both live in rental housing stems from management loopholes," adding, "LH must conduct intensive investigations to detect owners of high-priced vehicles and significantly increase the number of residential welfare workers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.