"In the With-Corona Era, Establishing a Housing Welfare Model" Seoul City Hosts '2020 Seoul Housing Welfare Forum'

Live on Seoul City YouTube on the 23rd, '2020 Jachibunwon-type Seoul Housing Welfare Forum' Held
A Platform for Public Discussion on New Directions in Housing Welfare Policy and Building Sustainable Housing Welfare Models

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold the '2020 Autonomous Decentralization-type Seoul Housing Welfare Forum (SFHW·Seoul Forum for Housing Welfare)' on the 23rd at 3 p.m. to explore new directions for housing welfare policies that can respond to the 'With Corona era.'

The Seoul Housing Welfare Forum is a platform to discover alternatives for housing welfare policies in the era of autonomous decentralization. Until now, housing welfare policies have been led by the central government (1.0), but in the era of autonomous decentralization, it is seen that the authority concentrated in the central government should be transferred to local governments and the private sector to establish a sustainable housing welfare model (2.0). The forum started in 2019 with this purpose.

At the 2020 Seoul Housing Welfare Forum, amid the deepening housing crisis among vulnerable groups due to the pandemic (global outbreak), proactive housing welfare policy directions that can respond to the situation will be explored. Policy issues will also be identified. Discussions will continue with experts from various fields.

Due to COVID-19, the direct impacts such as loss of life, production disruptions, and sales declines as well as COVID-19 countermeasures such as social distancing, telecommuting, and refraining from outdoor activities have increased the number of households facing job loss and housing cost burdens. For vulnerable groups, the transition to a non-face-to-face society has led to closures of housing support service facilities and service interruptions, causing a breakdown in the delivery system and worsening the housing crisis.

To gather creative ideas and identify policy issues, experts not only in housing welfare but also in sociology, futures studies, social welfare, architecture, and business administration will participate as presenters and discussants.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has selected the theme of this forum as 'Rethinking Housing Welfare in the Post-Corona Era' and plans to hold a total of three sessions by December. The first forum, held on the 23rd, will begin with an examination of social phenomena where inequality worsens after crises. The second forum will discuss directions for housing welfare policies needed in the With Corona era (selective housing welfare vs. universal housing welfare), and the third forum will discuss housing welfare and technology to explore new housing welfare delivery systems that can respond in a non-face-to-face (untact) society.

The first forum will proceed under the detailed theme 'New Directions for Housing Welfare: Deepening Inequality after Crises.' Following the 1997 IMF financial crisis and the 2008 global financial crisis, inequality in housing welfare basic rights has deepened after the current COVID-19 crisis. Especially among vulnerable housing groups such as those living in deteriorated old housing, areas densely populated by foreign workers, and goshiwon (small lodging rooms), the polarization of inequality worsens after major crises like economic downturns and pandemics, pushing them into even more precarious environments. Professor Kwangki Kim (Department of General Social Education, Kyungpook National University) will analyze these social phenomena from a sociological perspective to uncover structural causes and backgrounds and discuss to lay the foundation for proactive housing welfare policy establishment.

The 2020 Seoul Housing Welfare Forum will be broadcast live in real-time via a designated YouTube channel in a non-face-to-face format to suit the changed environment due to COVID-19. Any citizens interested in the forum can participate, and advance registration is available through the '2020 Autonomous Decentralization-type Seoul Housing Welfare Forum website.'

Seongbo Kim, Head of the Housing and Architecture Headquarters of Seoul City, said, "The Seoul Housing Welfare Forum, which started last year, took the first step to create a direction for housing welfare policies and a sustainable housing welfare model to proactively respond to the change called 'autonomous decentralization' together with citizens." "Through this year's continued forums, we hope it will be a place to ask about the direction of housing welfare policies in times of crisis, discover new policy issues, and find creative ideas and alternatives to solve problems," he said.