Introduction to South Korean Housing
For many Americans, the apartment where 29-year-old IT specialist Lee Chang-hee lives might be the stuff of nightmares. Located just outside the capital of Seoul, the building isn’t very tall — just 16 stories — by South Korean standards, but the complex consists of 36 separate structures, which are nearly identical except for the building number displayed on their sides. The 2,000-plus units come in the same standardized dimensions found everywhere in the country (Lee lives in a “84C,” which has 84 square meters, or about 900 square feet, of floor space) and offer, in some ways, a ready-made life. The amenities scattered throughout the campus include a rock garden with a fake waterfall, a playground, a gym, an administration office, a senior center and a “moms cafe.”
The Middle-Class Dream of Home Ownership
But this, for the most part, is South Korea’s middle-class dream of home ownership — its version of a house with the white picket fence. “The bigger the apartment complex, the better the surrounding infrastructure, like public transportation, schools, hospitals, grocery stores, parks and so on,” Lee said. “I like how easy it is to communicate with the neighbors in the complex because there’s a well-run online community.” Most in the country would agree: Today, 64% of South Korean households live in such multifamily housing, the majority of them in apartments with five or more stories.
Comparison with American Housing
Such a reality seems unimaginable in cities like Los Angeles, which has limited or prohibited the construction of dense housing in single-family zones. “Los Angeles is often seen as an endless tableau of individual houses, each with their own yard and garden,” Max Podemski, an L.A.-based urban planner, wrote in The Times last year. “Apartment buildings are anathema to the city’s ethos.” In recent years, the price of that ethos has become increasingly apparent in the form of a severe housing shortage. In the city of Los Angeles, where nearly 75% of all residential land is zoned for stand-alone single-family homes, rents have been in a seemingly endless ascent, contributing to one of the worst homelessness crises in the country.
South Korea’s Urban Housing Policies
Sixty years ago, South Korea stood at a similar crossroads. But the series of urban housing policies it implemented led to the primacy of the apartment, and in doing so, transformed South Korean notions of housing over the course of a single generation. The results of that program have been mixed. But in one important respect, at least, it has been successful: Seoul, which is half the size of the city of L.A., is home to a population of 9.6 million — compared with the estimated 3.3 million people who live in Los Angeles.
Benefits of Apartment Living
For Lee, the trade-off is a worthwhile one. In an ideal world, she would have a garage for the sort of garage sales she’s admired in American movies. “But South Korea is a small country,” she said. “It is necessary to use space as efficiently as possible.” Apartments, in her view, have spared her from the miseries of suburban housing. Restaurants and stores are close by. Easy access to public transportation means she doesn’t need a car to get everywhere. “Maybe it’s because of my Korean need to have everything done quickly, but I think it’d be uncomfortable to live somewhere that doesn’t have these things within reach at all times,” she said.
History of Apartments in South Korea
Apartment blocks are the predominant housing format in Seoul. Apartments first began appearing in South Korea in the 1960s and 1970s, as part of a government response to a housing crisis in the nation’s capital — a byproduct of the era’s rapid industrialization and subsequent urban population boom. In the 1960s, single-family detached dwellings made up around 95% of homes in the country. But over the following decade, as rural migrants flooded Seoul in search of factory work, doubling the population from 2.4 to 5.5 million, many in this new urban working class found themselves without homes.
Criticisms of Apartment Living
This model has not been without problems. There are the usual issues that come with dense housing. In buildings with poor soundproofing, “inter-floor noise” between units is such a universal scourge that the government runs a noise-related dispute resolution center while discouraging people from angrily confronting their neighbors, a situation that occasionally escalates into headline-making violence. Some apartment buildings have proved to be too much even for a country accustomed to unsentimentally efficient forms of housing. One 19-story, 4,635-unit complex built by a big-name apartment brand in one of the wealthiest areas of Seoul looks so oppressive that it has become a curiosity, mocked by some as a prison or chicken coop.
Impact on Society
Many people here are increasingly questioning how this form of housing, with its nearly identical layouts, has shaped the disposition of contemporary South Korean society, often criticized by its own members as overly homogenized and lockstep. “I’m concerned that apartments have made South Koreans’ lifestyles too similar,” said Maing Pil-soo, an architect and urban planning professor at Seoul National University. “And with similar lifestyles, you end up with a similar way of thinking. Much like the cityscape itself, everything becomes flattened and uniform.” Jung Heon-mok, an anthropologist at the Academy of Korean Studies who has studied the history of South Korean apartments, believes South Korea’s apartment complexes, with their promise of an atomized, frictionless life, have eroded the more expansive social bonds that defined traditional society — like those that extended across entire villages — making its inhabitants more individualistic and insular.
Housing Affordability Crisis
None of this, however, has been able to stave off Seoul’s own present-day housing affordability crisis. The capital has one of the most expensive apartment prices in the world on a price-per-square-meter basis, ranking fourth after Hong Kong, Zurich and Singapore, and ahead of major U.S. cities like New York or San Francisco, according to a report published last month by Deutsche Bank. One especially brutal stretch recently saw apartment prices in Seoul double in four years.
Future of Apartment Living
Some experts predict that, as the country enters another era of demographic upheaval, the dominance of apartments will someday be no more. If births continue to fall as dramatically as they have done in recent years, South Koreans may no longer need such dense housing. The ongoing rise of single-person households, too, may chip away at a form of housing built to hold four-person nuclear families. But Chae Sang-wook, an independent real estate analyst, is skeptical that this will happen anytime soon.
Conclusion
In conclusion, South Korea’s emphasis on apartment living has transformed the country’s housing landscape and has had a significant impact on its society. While there are criticisms of this model, it has also provided many benefits, including efficient use of space and convenient access to amenities. As the country continues to evolve, it will be important to address the challenges associated with apartment living, including the housing affordability crisis and the potential for social isolation.
FAQs
What percentage of South Korean households live in multifamily housing?
Today, 64% of South Korean households live in multifamily housing, the majority of them in apartments with five or more stories.
How has the South Korean government’s urban housing policy impacted the country’s housing landscape?
The government’s policy has led to the primacy of the apartment, transforming South Korean notions of housing over the course of a single generation.
What are some of the benefits of apartment living in South Korea?
Apartment living has spared many from the miseries of suburban housing, with restaurants and stores close by and easy access to public transportation.
What are some of the criticisms of apartment living in South Korea?
Critics argue that apartment living has made South Koreans’ lifestyles too similar, leading to a homogeneous and lockstep society, and has contributed to social isolation.
How has the housing affordability crisis affected Seoul?
The capital has one of the most expensive apartment prices in the world, with prices doubling in four years, making it difficult for many to afford housing.
