"Please Tell Us About Long-Term Jeonse Housing Life"... Seoul City Holds Award Ceremony for Handwriting Contest

16 Works Selected, Handwritten Collection Compiled and Distributed

Seoul City is celebrating the 16th anniversary of the long-term lease housing program initiated by Mayor Oh Se-hoon by holding a handwritten essay contest for residents who have lived in long-term lease housing, selecting 16 works to be compiled into a book. The city plans to use the collection to promote the advantages of long-term lease housing.

Seoul City announced on the 9th that it selected a total of 16 works in the "Long-term Lease Housing Residency Experience Essay Contest" held from August to September, and will hold an awards ceremony and a meeting with the winners at Seoul City Hall at 10:50 a.m. on the same day. Mayor Oh Se-hoon will attend the awards ceremony and present the prizes, and will discuss the experiences of living in long-term lease housing with about 20 winners in attendance.

Seoul’s long-term lease housing, also well known under the brand name SHift, was first introduced by Mayor Oh Se-hoon as the first local government in Korea. Starting with the move-in at Balsan 2 Complex in August 2007, a total of 33,973 units have been supplied throughout Seoul over the past 16 years. The city plans to continue supplying long-term lease housing in various forms, including transit-oriented long-term lease and co-living housing.

To mark the 16th anniversary of the supply of long-term lease housing and to further promote the system, the city held the "Long-term Lease Housing Residency Experience Essay Contest." During the approximately one-month contest period, a total of 88 entries were submitted, and after screening, 16 final works were selected.

The city plans to compile the 16 winning works into a collection to be published and distributed free of charge within the year, and also posted on the Seoul City website to continuously raise awareness about long-term lease housing.

The judges who participated in the selection process commented, “We confirmed that long-term lease housing has served not only as a living space but also as a safe haven for families, playing a stepping stone role in nurturing and achieving dreams,” and added, “It has established itself as a valuable system supporting the lives and hopes of Seoul citizens.”

Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, “The long-term lease housing program, which started with the hope of providing stable housing and helping people achieve homeownership, has now reached its 16th year. It is moving to hear the stories of those who have actually lived there and to meet those who have succeeded in owning their homes. We will continue to supply more long-term lease housing in various ways, confirming that it has become a housing ladder for citizens.”