Cared for Like a Biological Mother for 38 Years... But Cancelled from Housing Lottery for Being a 'Stepmother'?

Stepmother of 38 Years Considered Actual Mother... Elderly Parents' Special Housing Subscription Canceled
"Please Withdraw Disqualification and Lift Subscription Ban" Petition Submitted to Cheong Wa Dae
Construction Company States "Stepparents Not Recognized as Direct Ascendants"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] Office worker Oh Yong-woo (54) was selected for the first time this January for a new apartment located in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province (Gosan Sujain DSTG), but on the 6th he received a notice that his application was disqualified and his subscription was canceled. The subscription Oh was selected for was a special supply for supporting elderly parents, but since stepfather and stepmother are not recognized as direct ascendants, Mr. A, who is supporting his stepmother, does not meet the eligibility criteria.

Feeling unfairly treated, Oh posted about this issue on the Blue House National Petition site and the bulletin board of the ‘Hogangnono’ app, which provides actual apartment transaction prices, on the 8th. He argued that the recruitment announcement and the housing supply regulations did not explicitly state that ‘stepfather and stepmother are not considered direct ascendants,’ but the construction company repeatedly responded that it is difficult to recognize a stepmother as a direct ascendant, citing the ‘Q&A on Housing Supply Regulations’ issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Housing Fund. Oh expressed his frustration, saying, “Who would look up a Q&A document on regulations written 2-3 years ago when applying for housing?”

He continued, “I have lived with my current mother (stepmother) for 38 years since I was five years old,” and lamented, “Is it reasonable not to recognize a stepmother, who is no different from a biological parent, as a direct ascendant?” He also demanded that the government withdraw the disqualification decision and cancel the one-year ban on applying for housing.

According to Article 46 of the current Housing Supply Regulations, special supply for supporting elderly parents is available to a household head without a home who has continuously supported a direct ascendant aged 65 or older (including the spouse’s direct ascendants) for more than three years as of the recruitment announcement date. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated in a 2018 interpretation document titled ‘Interpretation on the Calculation of Family Support Points for Private Housing’ that under current civil law and family relationship laws, stepmother or stepfather are not legally considered direct ascendants or descendants.

Professor Shim Kyo-eon of Konkuk University’s Department of Real Estate said, “Just as de facto marriages are recognized as family, the housing subscription system should also move toward reflecting actual family relationships beyond mere legal blood relations.”