After Speculators Came and Went... Only Vacant Homes Remain in the Village [134,000 Vacant Homes Report] ①

After Deregulation, Vacant Homes Multiply
Slumification Drives Residents Away
Residents Voice Concerns Over Safety and Crime

Editor's Note'17,603 households.' This is the number of vacant homes in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon where no one lives. On a national scale, the figure rises to 134,009 households. The number of vacant homes in urban areas, where housing supply is considered insufficient, is steadily increasing. Urban vacant homes soon become abandoned houses. The structure of the house remains, but it turns into a zombie home, uninhabitable for people. In particular, once these vacant homes appear, they tend to spread like an epidemic. The proliferation of vacant homes creates crime-prone areas and can turn neighborhoods into ghost towns. Asia Economy aims to shed light on the issue of vacant homes spreading throughout cities and to present prevention and management measures in a five-part series.

On May 8, I visited Chungsin 1 District in Chungsin-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. As I entered the village, a detached house with cracked walls caught my eye. Faded utility bills were wedged in the gap of the front door. Inside the broken entrance, trash that had melted in the rain and lost its color was scattered about. All traces of people had disappeared over time. As I moved further into the village, clusters of such houses appeared one after another.

This area is one of Seoul's representative hillside villages, located below the Naksan Fortress Trail of Hanyangdoseong. As vacant homes appeared, the neighborhood soon turned into a vacant village. This stands in stark contrast to Dongdaemun Station, located within a 500-meter radius, which bustles with crowds.

A utility bill is wedged in the gap of the front door of a vacant house located in Chungsin 1 District, Chungsin-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. A notice prohibiting unauthorized entry is posted on the front door. Photo by Lee Jieun

Park Sucheol (84, pseudonym), whom I met halfway up the village, recalled, "There was a time when the neighborhood was filled with the laughter of children," and "Children used to play rubber band games and run around every alley." Park has been a fixture in this area since settling here 50 years ago. He explained, "Chungsin 1 District was once an area densely packed with sewing factories," and "Laborers who settled here with their families lived in each house."

Speculators Flooded In During the Redevelopment Boom... Abandonment Followed Deregulation

However, the village began to decline rapidly. The redevelopment boom that swept through in the 2000s was the main cause. In 2005, the Seoul Metropolitan Government established a maintenance plan to build 545 households on approximately 29,601 square meters in Chungsin-dong. As the redevelopment boom hit the village, real estate agents and speculators appeared in the alleys. After that, housing prices soared to unprecedented levels.

An empty house located in Chungshin 1 District, Seoul. The iron bars installed on the balcony are left unattended. Photo by Lee Jieun

Park said, "Even in the mid to late 1990s, the price per pyeong (3.3 square meters) for a detached house in this neighborhood was only 3 million to 5 million won," and "From the early 2000s, as news spread that redevelopment might be possible, the price per pyeong jumped to nearly 8 million won." As a result, the village was divided between those who left and those who stayed. In the homes sold by original residents, unfamiliar tenants moved in.

It seemed as if apartment complexes would be built at any moment, but that dream was shattered in an instant. In 2017, the city unilaterally removed Chungsin 1 District from the redevelopment zone, citing the need to preserve its historical and cultural value. The expectation of rising home prices collapsed, and transactions came to a halt. Outsiders who had bought homes at a premium could not sell them at the expected price. It also became impossible to find tenants willing to live in old houses where redevelopment had been delayed for more than ten years. For these reasons, the number of vacant homes began to increase one by one.

The surge of vacant homes left in the wake of the redevelopment boom is not unique to Chungsin 1 District. Other areas, such as Ogin 1 District and Sajik 2 District in the same district, as well as Seongbuk 4 District in Seongbuk-gu, have also suffered the aftermath of deregulation from redevelopment zones. According to a survey by the Seoul Institute, as of 2019, a total of 125 vacant homes were distributed across these four districts.

Exposed Rebar and Broken Roofs... Residents Fear for Their Safety

Vacant homes have become ticking time bombs threatening the safety of neighbors. Kim Sunrye (76, pseudonym), who walks slowly due to a bent back, only takes walks within ten steps from her home for safety reasons. If debris falls while walking through the narrow alleys, she cannot avoid it, and even if she calls out for help, no one would come. In reality, the vacant homes here have been left with exposed rebar and concrete. In the case of a two-story townhouse located halfway up the village, even a light touch caused cement dust to crumble from the wall.

Park Sucheol also avoids going out on windy days. This is because the wooden panels stacked on the roof of the vacant house across the street shake violently whenever strong winds blow. Park said, "I'm worried that if a typhoon comes, the panels will fly in all directions and hit someone."

Residents expressed their fear that vacant homes could turn into crime-prone areas. Kang Mija (76, pseudonym), who has lived in Chungsin 1 District for 60 years, installed a double lock on her door three years ago. She took this measure after realizing that her neighbor's house had become vacant and was left unattended. Kang said, "When the sun goes down, I worry that someone might be hiding in the vacant house." As the Naksan Park Fortress Trail became a popular tourist destination, more outsiders began visiting Chungsin 1 District, heightening Kang's anxiety. Tourists who visited the area started throwing cigarette butts into vacant homes or loitering near the houses.

An empty house located in Chungsin 1 District, Jongno-gu, Seoul, has been left unattended with exposed rebar and broken concrete. Photo by Lee Jieun

Slumification Drives Residents Away... Community Bonds Disappear with Vacant Homes

Vacant homes have destroyed not only the appearance of the village but also its sense of community. Chungsin 1 District is no exception. As vacant homes were left unattended and the residential environment deteriorated, more and more residents left the village. According to residents, it is now rare to see anyone moving into the village to rent a room, except for foreign workers. Existing rental homes remain vacant after leases expire because new tenants cannot be found.

As residents scattered, neighborly interactions disappeared. Park said, "In the past, neighbors would gather every summer on the bench to share watermelon and hold talent shows," and "Now, I don't even know who lives in the village. The only neighbor I know is Mr. Kim." Not only Park, but all three residents I met in the village that day said they did not know any neighbors other than those living next door.

High-rise buildings are visible between old two-story houses located in Chungsin 1 District, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Lee Ji-eun

In Japan, where research on vacant homes began earlier than in Korea, this phenomenon is explained by the concept of 'Tonari.' Tonari means 'neighbor,' and it refers to the point at which, when one of two households becomes vacant, the community function of the village is lost and slowly collapses.

Park, who is approaching ninety years old, has only one wish: that no more vacant homes will appear among his neighbors. With teary eyes, he said, "I miss the days when I started and ended each day by exchanging greetings with my neighbors."