[Inside Chodong] A Step Toward Humane Living Spaces

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An overseas adoptee returned to Korea at the age of forty. He lived alone in a goshiwon and passed away last year. Eleven years ago around this time, the three mothers and daughters in Songpa who took their own lives lived in a semi-basement of a detached house during their lifetime.

Housing conditions directly affect the quality of life. Some say the portrayal of Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho), the protagonist of the movie Parasite, and his family living in a semi-basement is unrealistic. Although the depiction of the musty smell and their shabby living conditions is plausible, in a truly low-income family, it is rare for the family to live so harmoniously. Where and how one lives does not entirely determine a person's life. However, it is undeniable that it has a considerable influence.

In this regard, our Constitution guarantees the right to housing by stating that "The State shall endeavor to enable all citizens to enjoy comfortable housing through housing development policies, etc." (Article 35, Paragraph 3). This phrase is somewhat vague and raises doubts about whether it functions properly in reality. In a capitalist society that prioritizes the pursuit of capital profits, it is natural for living environments to differ depending on the amount of assets. However, the reality that many people are not guaranteed humane living conditions simply because they lack money is something wrong. Even if the State cannot directly take care of it, it is necessary to clearly indicate the direction to be pursued.

At least, the amendment to the Housing Basic Act, which passed the National Assembly last November and will be implemented this June, can be said to show this direction passively. However, to make this clearer, inducive housing standards need to be established. Inducive housing standards are a concept one step higher than the minimum housing standards, which can be considered a kind of last line of defense, with the purpose of "inducing" a humane life and a comfortable living environment. The government plans to establish these standards by the year after next.

The Housing Basic Act, enacted in 2015, is the highest-level law related to housing and residential policies. Nevertheless, the inducive housing standards clause was only a discretionary provision for ministers, not an obligation. When the Housing Basic Act was enacted, expert groups on housing policy, including the National Assembly and government research institutes, drafted strengthened inducive housing standards considering overseas cases and domestic conditions. However, it was not reflected in the actual legislation. The market has consistently pointed out that the standards are ineffective.

The government must also improve the minimum housing standards, which have remained stagnant for over ten years. It should reflect changes in household characteristics across society, such as the increase in single-person households, as well as changes in income levels and living environments. The minimum housing standards regulate factors such as the minimum residential area according to family size, the number of rooms, the presence of a kitchen and bathroom, and even structural strength, lighting, and noise. It is said that the validity of these standards will be reviewed every five years in the future, so it remains to be seen whether they will reflect the changed times.

Consideration is also needed for those living in places other than houses. The number of households living in non-housing accommodations such as goshiwons, goshtels, lodging facilities, and vinyl greenhouses was 440,000 households (as of 2022), an increase of more than 70,000 households compared to five years ago.

The key will be institutional measures to ensure effectiveness in reality. Even if legal provisions are ideal, without incentives or penalties, it is difficult to implement them in practice. However, there are clear limitations, such as insufficient resources and difficulty in reflecting penalty provisions. Also, since the situation is being encouraged by the National Assembly and others, it may be difficult to take proactive action. Still, the market changes when a clear direction is presented. We hope policymakers will carefully oversee this matter.

Choi Dae-yeol, Construction and Real Estate Department

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