[The Era of Being Single] More Important Than a Spouse... Having My Own Home Space

(18) Single Women Living Independently Seminar by Jeonju 'Bibi Social Cooperative'
"Housing Policies Exclude Single-Person Households and Middle-Aged"

Editor's NoteIn a world where marriage is not mandatory, meeting someone who chooses to remain single is no longer a strange experience. Who chooses to remain single, and why? The issue is not only the societal prejudices surrounding singlehood. There is also a vague admiration directed at it. We examine the pros and cons of the so-called 'single life.'

"I really wanted to be independent. My parents said things like, 'You have to get married to move out of the house,' but I had no intention of getting married. I had no job, so my parents opposed it, and I also wondered if this was the right choice, but ultimately, my desire to leave home was stronger."

On the 24th of last month, when the mercury soared to 32 degrees Celsius, I visited the 'Bibi Social Cooperative' located in a building in the new town area of Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do. The news of a seminar titled 'Save Me Jeonju Homes Season 2,' introducing 'housing independence' solutions for single women who choose to remain unmarried, led me there.

It was similar in concept to the entertainment program of the same name that helps homeless people find housing, but the fact that the target was 'single-person households who remain unmarried' was unusual.

A banner hung on the first floor stated that they conduct 'singlehood, single-person households, middle-aged women, supply and operation of women's housing communities, and housing counseling for single women.' When I knocked on the cooperative's door on the third floor, about ten people were waiting to attend the lecture, even though it was 1 p.m. on a Saturday.

In Korean society, traditionally, 'owning a home' has been premised on marriage. In youth, people live with their parents, then move out to rent monthly, and upon marriage, save money to prepare a newlywed home. However, those who choose to remain single also have the desire to own a home.

They want a safe and long-lasting home at a reasonable price, but soaring housing prices and monthly rent costs make owning a home not an easy task. The purpose of the Bibi Cooperative event was to offer advice to such people.

The first speaker was Lee Taekyung from the Jeonju Housing Welfare Center's Housing Welfare Counseling Team. He introduced Jeonju's major housing welfare policies such as national rental housing, public rental housing, jeonse rental housing, and purchase rental housing, as well as various financial and guarantee products. He also introduced Jeonju's system of repairing abandoned vacant houses and renting them to young people at half price.

After the lecture, questions poured in such as, "What is the scale of LH purchase rental housing in Jeonju?" and "Is there a system to rent an entire building by gathering people to live together, even if not through LH?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The second speaker was Deputy Manager Jo Yeonhee of the Korea Housing Welfare Social Cooperative (hereafter Housing Welfare Cooperative), which operates Jeonju-style social housing such as 'Recommendation,' 'Cheongchun101,' and 'Changgong.'

Jeonju-style social housing is a project where Jeonju City purchases private land or buildings, and the Housing Welfare Cooperative remodels them to supply to housing-vulnerable groups at affordable rents below 80% of market price. Among these, the 'Cheongchun101,' operated as a women's safety housing, attracted great interest. There are as many as 25 people on the waiting list.

The third speaker was Lee Eunji, CEO of Multiverse Dance Studio, which operates a dance academy in Jeonju. Until recently, she was homeless but succeeded in moving into national rental housing with advice from the Bibi Cooperative.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

CEO Lee showed a vlog video documenting the contract process and said, "At first, the deposit was 19 million KRW with a monthly rent of 110,000 KRW, but other friends living in Hyoja-dong paid around 300,000 KRW even though their rent was cheaper. Now, I increased the deposit to 25 million KRW, and the monthly rent is only 60,000 KRW."

During the approximately three-hour seminar, participants asked the speakers various questions about move-in conditions and household separation, exchanging diverse information. Kim Heejeong (pseudonym, 32), who attended the seminar, said, "I had to become independent within a few months, so I felt overwhelmed, but I think I gained a lot of information, so I’m glad."

Observing the seminar overall, I felt that the housing welfare systems introduced that day were closer to welfare policies for youth under 39 or the impoverished rather than specifically for 'single-person households who remain unmarried.'

Single-person households who remain unmarried are entering middle age, but policies for them are hard to find.

Kim Nani, CEO of Bibi Social Cooperative, agreed and said the following.

"The most popular groups for all policy targets are youth and the elderly. Middle-aged people are being marginalized not only in housing policies but also in other policies. Housing should encompass the entire life cycle of all people, but the method of supplying housing by categorizing targets as youth, newlyweds, and elderly tends to exclude the increasing number of single-person households and middle-aged people."

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