Seoul public rental housing 'Haedeun House,' a pre-relocation housing alternative for residents of single-room housing

The public rental housing complex ‘Haedeun House’ for residents of the Namdaemun jjokbangchon in Jung District, Seoul, is taking shape as a new home for its tenants. This housing was built using a ‘relocation first, redevelopment later’ approach, in which tenants in areas slated for redevelopment are moved first and the development proceeds afterward. Last September, 142 households living in the Namdaemun jjokbangs moved in first, and the remaining 42 households are scheduled to move in by the middle of next month. Each unit is about 14 to 20㎡, and even including monthly rent and maintenance fees, the total comes to around 200,000 won. Residents say that with basic living conditions such as air conditioners and washing machines now in place, the inconvenience during the summer has been greatly reduced. The anxiety of having to live with the door open during their jjokbang days, as well as the insect problem, has disappeared, and they are now experiencing a return to everyday life as they decorate their rooms. The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to expand this kind of redevelopment method to other jjokbangchons as well. However, residents of other jjokbangchons in Seoul, such as Donuidong and Changsindong in Jongno District and Dongjadong in Yongsan District, are still enduring the heat in poor housing conditions.