74,000 Youth Housing Units to Be Supplied in Seoul by 2030

On March 10, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced its plan to establish a reliable housing ladder so that young people do not have to give up their dreams or postpone life plans due to housing issues.

That morning, at the "Youth Home&Job Fair" held at Seoul Gallery, the city unveiled its integrated brand "The Dream House+"-which encompasses expanded housing supply, housing cost support, and measures to prevent rental fraud for young people-and announced its "Youth Housing Stability Plan." "The Dream House" brand signifies the city's commitment to providing more homes for young people and making their dreams a reality.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is listening to on-site issues of the rental housing market at a real estate agency in Huigyeong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul on the 9th. 2026.3.9 Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon stated, "The key to solving the youth housing problem is to simultaneously pursue sufficient housing supply and policies to reduce housing cost burdens," and added, "Seoul will mobilize all policy capabilities to create a city where young people do not have to give up their dreams because of housing."

To this end, Seoul will actively implement three major policies: expanding the supply of housing for young people, increasing housing cost support, and strengthening the housing safety net. Initiatives that can be executed immediately will be pushed forward swiftly, while foundational projects will be rolled out in stages.

The city plans to add 25,000 new units to the 49,000 homes already underway, supplying a total of 74,000 housing units for young people by 2030. According to Seoul’s survey, about 1.15 million, or roughly 90% of young households, live in rental housing. During the same period, the monthly rent for a studio apartment in Seoul increased by 310,000 won over ten years, rising from 490,000 won in 2015 to 800,000 won in 2025.

First, support for student housing near university districts will be strengthened. The city will introduce the "Seoul-Style Saessak One-Room," a new type of affordable studio for incoming university students, and will expand the supply of "shared youth housing" near universities for young people moving to Seoul for education and other reasons. Through these initiatives, a total of 16,000 units will be supplied by 2030. Among them, 10,000 units will be "Seoul-Style Saessak One-Rooms," which offer interest-free deposit loans of up to 30 million won, and 6,000 units will be public, quasi-public, or private shared housing.

The "Stepping Stone Housing," designed to support both housing stability and asset building for young people, and the "Three Types of Specialized Housing" for young adults just starting their careers, will also be introduced. The Stepping Stone Housing program is linked to the "Double Hope Youth Savings Account," offering homes where tenants can live for up to ten years at rents set at 10-30% of market rates. The city aims to provide 2,000 units by 2030.

The three types of specialized housing include youth-specialized complexes, youth growth housing, and independent youth housing. The youth-specialized complexes, combining workplaces and residential spaces on city-owned and Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH) land, will offer 1,000 homes by 2030. Additionally, 600 youth growth housing units near workplaces will be provided for young employees in industry clusters who earn less than 100% of the median income, along with 100 homes for independent youth to support their housing stability.

A new "Baronae Jip" (tentative name) will also be launched, modeled after Seoul’s public homeownership program. This initiative allows young people with limited financial assets to acquire a home without loans by transferring ownership immediately upon deposit payment, while the remaining balance is paid in long-term installments over 20 years or more. Starting with the Shinnae 4 District, the city plans to supply 600 units by 2030.

The city will also work to vitalize the private rental market. Using the Housing Promotion Fund, it will provide up to 14-year loans at a minimum fixed interest rate of 2.4% to developers building homes favored by young people in areas such as transit hubs and business districts, aiming to supply 5,000 units by 2030.

Yonhap News Agency

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A "Three-Part Support Package" will also be implemented to reduce the burden of monthly rent and deposits for young people.

To stabilize rents in university districts, the "Youth Companion Landlord Program" will be introduced as a pilot. In 96 legal administrative districts, landlords who freeze rents when signing a new lease with young tenants will receive up to 200,000 won in brokerage fee support and up to 1 million won for repair costs. This program will run from July 2026 to February 2027, with a budget of about 6 billion won.

In addition, eligibility for "Youth Monthly Rent Support" will expand from single-person households to include single-parent families, victims of rental fraud, newlywed couples without children, and youth residents of secure housing. The income threshold for the "Youth Rental Deposit Interest Support" program will be raised from an annual 40 million won to 50 million won to make the support more accessible.

Seoul will also strengthen efforts to prevent rental fraud and enhance the housing safety net. The number of AI-based rental fraud risk analysis reports provided will increase from 1,000 to 3,000 per year. The city will also provide 12 types of housing data, including contract safety and building code violations, as well as 12 types of landlord information. Qualified real estate agents, acting as "Safety Managers," will offer in-person counseling from pre-contract inspections to contract signing, alongside ongoing enforcement. Support for rental deposit refund guarantee fees will be raised to a maximum of 400,000 won and expanded to cover up to 18,000 recipients.

To stabilize the operation of youth secure housing, support for both tenants and landlords will be provided. Young people can receive interest-free support for deposits of up to 45 million won, and newlyweds up to 60 million won. Monthly rent support will also be provided to 500 young tenants living in private youth secure housing. For landlords, the public contribution rate will be temporarily eased by 5 percentage points for three years to improve project feasibility.

Furthermore, the city will operate the "Seoul Youth Policy Honey-Tip Bus," a mobile counseling bus, in university districts and youth-dense areas to provide tailored housing consultations. Through the Seoul Housing Security Comprehensive Center and Seoul Housing Portal, a wide range of policy information and application support will be offered, including youth monthly rent support and lease contract counseling. To secure the necessary funding for these projects, Seoul plans to raise an additional 740 billion won, including by converting Seoul REITs No. 3.

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