On October 24 last year, at the Eunpyeong Senior Care Center in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. The Eunpyeong Senior Care Center was established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as the first in the nation to receive a senior-exclusive care facility through public contribution from a private development project, and it was built in the Susaek 13 district housing redevelopment site. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

원본보기 아이콘

If you follow the massive new apartment complex in Susaek-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul to the end, you’ll come across a new five-story building. At first glance, it looks like a community facility for the newly transformed neighborhood, but in reality, it’s a nursing home for elderly people who are ill. The 'Eunpyeong Silver Care Center' opened in May last year. The conditions for admission, such as a monthly fee of about 900,000 won and the need for a long-term care rating, are no different from other nursing homes.

What makes this place special is something else. It is the first nursing home built on land donated by a redevelopment association. The Susaek 13 Redevelopment Association donated 2,800 square meters (about 850 pyeong) for the nursing home site. The 75 spots at the facility filled up quickly. Now, there are over 200 people on the waiting list.

원본보기 아이콘

원본보기 아이콘

Han Bomi, director of Eunpyeong Silver Care Center, said, "It’s common for nursing homes to be located on the outskirts, away from where people live," and added, "But this place is right next to the apartment complex." With such good accessibility, residents whose parents are here can visit frequently.

Han Bomi, director of the Eunpyeong Senior Care Center, is being interviewed on the 24th at the Eunpyeong Senior Care Center in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

원본보기 아이콘

This is true for Han Jungsoo (53) as well. He recently brought his widowed mother, who had been in a nursing home in his hometown of Busan, to this facility. Han said, "Even if I took the KTX, it took a whole day round trip, so I could only see her a few times a year. Now, I can visit her after work in the evening or every weekend, and it gives me peace of mind." Having a nursing home just '5 minutes away' from home makes this possible.

Lee Bunyeon (76), who directs traffic in front of Susaek Elementary School right across from the nursing home, also finds her gaze drawn to the facility. "Many elderly people live in these apartments. It’s a paradise for seniors. If I could enter a facility like that in front of my house, even if I got sick, I could stay in my neighborhood, near people I know, and not be lonely. That’s why I keep looking at it."

원본보기 아이콘

Even so, the nursing home staff can't shake the feeling that they owe something to the residents. Before the facility opened, the most common question staff received from elderly apartment residents was, "If I get sick, can I come here?" Each time, the staff had to awkwardly reply, "You can apply to enter on a first-come, first-served basis, but you are not given priority." Currently, less than 50% of the residents are from Eunpyeong-gu.

On October 24 last year, elderly people were using the rooftop garden at the Eunpyeong Senior Care Center in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

원본보기 아이콘

The association also feels that, since the nursing home was built through a land donation, residents should have priority admission. Joo Jaehyung, head of the Susaek 13 Redevelopment Association, said, "We received a floor area ratio benefit for donating the land for the nursing home," but added, "Still, the land we provided is worth 20 billion won, and it cost another 20 billion won to build the facility, totaling 40 billion won."

He argued, "For kindergartens in the complex, 70% of the spots are allocated to apartment residents. Likewise, a certain percentage of nursing home spots should be allocated to residents."

On October 24 last year, an elderly person is moving to the rooftop garden together with a caregiver at the Eunpyeong Senior Care Center in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

원본보기 아이콘

They have tried to solve this issue by meeting with members of the National Assembly and visiting the Seoul city government, but each time, it was to no avail. This is because the Long-Term Care Insurance Act for the Elderly does not provide a legal basis for resident allocation. Joo pointed out, "Unless the law is changed to give real benefits to residents, other reconstructed or redeveloped apartments won’t actively build senior welfare facilities."

The real estate industry also advises that there should be benefits for residents when building senior welfare facilities in redevelopment complexes. Ham Youngjin, head of Woori Bank’s Real Estate Research Lab, said, "There is also a local priority supply system for housing subscriptions," and explained, "For example, when building houses in a land development district, if the supply area is Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, 30% is supplied to Pyeongtaek residents, 20% to Gyeonggi-do residents, and 50% to Seoul metropolitan area residents first."

An elderly person is lying on a bed in a living room at the Eunpyeong Senior Care Center in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, on October 24 last year. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

원본보기 아이콘

On the 24th, an elderly person is watching TV in the living room of the Eunpyeong Senior Care Center in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

원본보기 아이콘

He said, "Just like with housing subscriptions, there should be a system that gives priority access if a nursing home is built on land donated from my apartment complex," and added, "This would serve as a catalyst to encourage resident support for senior welfare facilities."

원본보기 아이콘