[The World of Semi-Basements] ④ Direct Visits Fall Short... "Elimination Should Start in High-Risk Flood Areas"

Seoul City Officials Visit Homes to Explain Flood Barrier Installation
Gradual Elimination of Semi-Basement Units Through Redevelopment
"But Since They Still Serve as Housing, Targeted Support Needed for Flood-Prone Areas"

A semi-basement building in Guro-gu, Seoul, purchased by Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH Corporation) and utilized as a support space for youth. Guro Youth Space Youth Eroom

To change the perceptions of homeowners and tenants, which is the biggest obstacle to installing flood barriers, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is visiting each household to persuade them. The city cannot infringe on property rights, nor can it evict low-income residents who have no choice but to live in semi-basement units, so officials are visiting them one by one. In addition, the city is providing vouchers to tenants, offering public rental housing, and purchasing semi-basement units, but these initiatives have their limitations.

Experts have stated that local governments should prioritize areas at high risk of flooding in order to prevent semi-basement flooding accidents. They emphasized the need to concentrate resources in locations where damage could be severe, and, in the long term, to make efforts to build public consensus on making flood barriers mandatory.

Encouraging Flood Barrier Installation with More Than Three Visits...

The city and local districts are directly visiting semi-basement homes at high risk of flooding that have not installed flood barriers, encouraging installation. They visit more than three times to promote installation and also raise awareness through subway advertisements and other means.

The city provides flood barriers free of charge, but cannot force homeowners who are indifferent or concerned about a decrease in property value. Even if a property has been flooded or is at high risk, semi-basement homes are private property. For the same reason, if a tenant requests a flood barrier but the homeowner does not consent, the local government cannot install it. A city official said, "For semi-basement units that requested flood barriers, installation is nearly complete. However, in cases where installation was not possible due to the absence of the homeowner, we send notices and continue to contact and encourage them, but there are limits to what we can do."

Because installing flood barriers is not easy, the city is supporting semi-basement residents through various policies. These include a housing improvement program that moves semi-basement residents to public or private rental housing, and a semi-basement voucher program that provides monthly rent support when residents move to above-ground units. The number of households benefiting from housing improvement increased from 4,969 in 2023 to 5,468 last year, and the number receiving the semi-basement voucher rose from 690 in 2023 to 1,123 last year.

The city is working to gradually eliminate semi-basement units. It removes semi-basements during various redevelopment projects and purchases semi-basement homes with a history of flooding in areas not designated for redevelopment. The number of semi-basement units purchased increased from 302 in 2023 to 442 last year.

Purchased semi-basement units are either eliminated by being converted to non-residential use, newly constructed, or repurposed. Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH Corporation), with support from the city, purchases and manages semi-basement units, with elimination as the basic principle, but offers free leases for units that can be utilized. For example, a 59.9-square-meter semi-basement in Oryu-dong, Guro-gu, is being used as a support space for youth after interior renovations. These spaces are also used as libraries, on-site offices in flood-prone areas, and as bases for storing flood prevention equipment.

The effort to eliminate semi-basement units began after flooding in areas such as Gwanak-gu, Seoul in August 2022 resulted in casualties. As of 2021, 80.6% of Seoul's underground and semi-basement homes were built before 1995 and are considered outdated.

Measures Needed for Low-Income Residents Living in Semi-Basements

However, since semi-basement units still serve as homes for low-income residents facing economic hardship, some argue that areas at high risk of flooding should be selected for targeted support. As of 2023, Seoul's housing supply rate was 93.6%, which is 8.9 percentage points lower than the national average of 102.5%. A 100% housing supply rate means that, arithmetically, each household can own one home, so it is difficult for each household in Seoul to own a home. This also means that low-income residents have little choice but to live in semi-basement units.

Lee Changmu, a professor of urban engineering at Hanyang University, said, "For semi-basement units with a high risk of flooding and disaster, the city should actively provide alternative housing or purchase them. However, for other units, there is no need to eliminate them since they serve as affordable housing options. It is not desirable for the public sector to prohibit people from living there."

Kim Deokrae, director of the Housing Policy Research Division at the Housing Industry Research Institute, said, "If semi-basement households move above ground, those currently living above ground will have to move elsewhere, but the supply of public rental housing is limited. Through surveys of semi-basement residents, those who need to move immediately should receive policy support, and efforts should focus more on protecting people from threats to residential safety, such as flooding."