[In-Depth Look] A Society That Needs Adequate Housing

Senior Research Fellow Kim Deok-rye, Korea Housing Institute

Kim Deok-rye, Director of Housing Research Office, Korea Institute of Housing and Urban Affairs

There is a cognitive psychologist who said that in response to the question, “In which direction will our lives move?” humanity will shift from a ‘maximized life’ to an ‘adequate life.’ This is Professor Kim Kyung-il of Ajou University. He stated that the measure of happiness will change and an era that respects individuality will come, and as human lifespan lengthens, those who do not feel adequate satisfaction will ultimately live a ‘lost life.’

It seems that housing policy has lost its way. An accident occurred where the exterior wall of an apartment under construction in Gwangju Metropolitan City collapsed. It has been seven months since the Gwangju Hakdong 4 District building collapse disaster that happened last year. At that time, 17 casualties occurred, causing a public uproar. A large-scale accident involving human error happened again in the same local government area and by the same construction company.

The Gwangju city government decided to halt all construction projects carried out by the accident company and formed a ‘Construction and Building Site Accident Prevention Task Force,’ with the mayor directly in charge. Following the Hakdong 4 District collapse accident last year, the National Assembly passed an amendment to the Building Management Act (the ‘Hakdong Disaster Prevention Act’) mandating inspections of building demolition sites.

The world is striving for sustainable urban development for people and the planet. The values of inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities are being emphasized. In this context, the Gwangju accident raises many questions. What exactly is our society doing to create safe and sustainable cities?

UN-HABITAT, a UN agency, deals with human settlements and cities, emphasizing that homes must be safe, secure, adequately equipped with necessary facilities, and not overly burdensome. Are we living in safe and secure homes? Are we supplying safe and livable homes? Are we living in homes that are not excessively burdensome? Is our society too stingy when it comes to the ‘values’ that require intense consideration for people’s better lives and futures? Are politics, policies, and people too obsessed with housing prices, thereby missing out on too many important things? We need to think seriously and examine what our society is losing.

The accidents occurring daily at housing construction sites in Gwangju are far from the values of safety that our society must naturally pursue during the housing construction process. Why has this happened? This is not a small city but one of Korea’s representative cities with a population of over 2 million, and the accidents occurred at a major corporation representing Korea. Whose responsibility is this accident?

The primary responsibility for the accident lies with the company. The company should have managed safety more thoroughly. Above all, it should have been even more cautious to prevent human error. It remains to be seen what administrative measures will be taken regarding this accident, but the company must do its best to actively cooperate with the authorities and provide sufficient compensation for the damages.

But is it only the company’s problem? Not necessarily. Is there no reason why the company had to push forward with construction recklessly, even at the risk of danger? An inspection of the housing construction environment is also necessary. If the company was at fault during the process, it must take responsibility. However, if the institutional environment forced the company to make such choices, the local government that created that environment cannot be free from responsibility.

Future housing is not only about price. It must be adequate housing that comprehensively incorporates various values such as safety, security, performance, and quality to actively respond to climate change. We need to examine whether the current Housing Act provides a foundation to supply adequate housing. If it does not reflect the values of future housing, the Housing Act must be amended. Thus, homes should function as places where better futures can be dreamed of. We look forward to appropriate housing supply from the next government.