More than 1,600 publicly backed lease homes in South Korea are smaller than the 14-square-meter minimum the government sets as the smallest acceptable living space. Two-thirds of them house young adults. The smallest measures just 8.73 square meters.
Rep. Jang Kyung-tae, an independent lawmaker on the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, said data submitted by the Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) showed 1,618 units in its jeonse (a lump-sum deposit lease) rental program nationwide have an exclusive floor area of less than 14 square meters. Of those, 1,073 units, or 66.3%, were designated for young adults. The data was released on the 12th.
The smallest unit measured 8.73 square meters, or about 60% of the minimum residential floor area of 14 square meters that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport sets for single-person households. A young adult was confirmed to be living there as well.
The minimum housing standard defines the lowest level of housing conditions needed for a comfortable and livable life. The ministry set 14 square meters as the minimum floor area for a single-person household in a 2011 public notice.
Under LH's jeonse rental program, eligible applicants find a home themselves, LH signs a lease with the landlord, and the unit is then sublet to the tenant at a reduced rate. The structure differs from public rental housing that LH builds and supplies directly.
LH reviews legal claims on a property during the contract process, but homes that fall short of the minimum floor area are still being signed up for the program. Because the program uses public funds to help vulnerable households secure stable housing, critics say management controls should be tightened to verify floor area and living conditions at the contract stage.
"A considerable number of homes being supplied do not even meet the minimum residential floor area," Jang said. "The fact that about two-thirds of them are designated for young adults is something that needs to be examined against the purpose of the system."
He added: "What young people need is not simply a space to live in, but a home where a minimum standard of living conditions is guaranteed. LH should review its management systems so that the homes tenants choose under the jeonse rental program meet a minimum level of housing quality."