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Students gather in front of the Central Government Complex in Seoul’s Jongno district to demand more affordable

After spending for her first year in college in a cramped four-person dormitory with bunk beds and four desks, 20-year-old Cheon Gi-ju got a place of her own last February. But her hopes of living a freer, more spacious existence were dashed when she began looking around for units. Because she had waited until just before classes started to look, the studio apartments and officetels (combined residential/commercial apartment buildings) were all taken up; the only place available was a windowless room at a “gosiwon” (dormitory-style apartment), measuring just 9.9 square meters. Safety was also an issue. Worried about crimes against women, Cheon wanted a building with closed-circuit cameras installed – but the rents at such places were 50,000 to 100,000 won (US$42.11-82.43) a month higher.

In the end, Cheon signed a lease for an officetel unit near Suyu Station, about 30 minutes from her school by bus. The cost was 600,000 won (USS$505.38) a month in rent, plus a 5 million won (US$4,211) deposit. With additional costs for water and maintenance fees factored in, she had to pay 700,000 won (US$589.61) a month for dormitory costs during the semester.

“It’s bigger than the average studio at about 46 square meters, but if you ignore the kitchen, fixtures, desks, and everything, only about half of that is actual living space,” she explained.

“It’s stifling and cramped trying to live in an officetel the size of one room in my home back in Sacheon [in South Gyeongsang Province],” she said.

University students like Cheon who have found themselves having to pay steep rents to live in poor conditions are uniting behind the aim of “living in houses, not ‘rooms.’” On Sept. 10, a planning team was established for a rally by students living on their own to call for guarantees on residential rights for university students, with members coming together from 16 student councils and groups including the Sungshin Women’s University and Sungkonghoe University student councils and the Socialist Revolutionary Workers’ Party (SRWP) student committee. At a press conference held in front of the Central Government Complex in Seoul’s Jongno District on the morning of Sept. 11, the team called for the government to provide public guarantees on residential issues affecting students, including a ceiling on rents, guarantees of a minimum living standard, and increased availability of public housing.

According to a month-long survey of 341 Seoul-area university students living on their own conducted in May by the SRWP student committee, respondents reported struggling economically, with larger outlays for residential costs than living expenses. At 490,000 won (US$412.73), their average monthly residential costs were greater than their average living costs of 442,000 (US$372.30), while housing failed to meet minimum residential standards for area. Among respondents, 78.6% reported living in a studio, with 22.6% living in environments that failed to meet the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) minimum per-person residential standard of 14 square meters.

Apartment safety issues were another problem reported. Nineteen percent of respondents stated that their homes had no fire extinguisher, fire hydrant, or sprinklers, leaving them vulnerable to fires. When asked whether their residence appeared safe against intruders, nearly 20% rated their home as “very unsafe” (2.6%, nine respondents) or “unsafe” (16.7%, 57).

“The OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] recommends that residential costs should not exceed 20% of income,” noted Ko Geun-hyeong, 22, who chairs the planning team.

“The government needs to provide public guarantees rather than ignoring residential issues for students,” Ko added. “We’re calling for the introduction of public controls on private rental housing and regulations to keep university student housing rents at 150,000 won (US$126.34) or less.”

After the press conference, team members submitted requests to the City of Seoul and MOLIT for meetings to address residential issues for students living on their own. The rally is planned for Oct. 5 in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square.

By Oh Yeon-seo, staff reporter

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