Pohang City Opens a New Era in Housing Welfare... Expansion of Public Housing for Every Stage of Life Draws Attention

Opening of North Gyeongsang Province's First Housing Welfare Center and Public Housing Supply
Realizing the 'Pohang-style Housing Welfare'
Supplying 783 Units of Public Housing for Every Stage of Life
Supporting Citizens from Youth to Senior Years

As Pohang City continues to implement a variety of housing policies aimed at ensuring residential stability and improving living conditions for its citizens, the 'Pohang-style Housing Policy' is drawing attention by delivering tangible results.

The city has accelerated the realization of citizen-oriented housing welfare by launching the first Housing Welfare Center in North Gyeongsang Province, and by rolling out a wide range of policies including the supply of customized public housing for each stage of life, vacant house renovation, and housing environment improvements.

The opening ceremony of the Pohang City Housing Welfare Center last January. Photo by Pohang City

Opened in January this year, the Pohang City Housing Welfare Center provides integrated services such as housing welfare consultations, public rental housing move-in and management, and housing environment improvements, playing a pivotal role in addressing blind spots in housing welfare.

In the six months since its opening, the center has facilitated the move-in of 650 households into LH existing home purchase and jeonse rental housing, and has handled 82 cases of emergency housing support, demonstrating practical achievements.

In addition, Pohang City supports housing benefits of approximately 31 billion KRW annually for about 20,000 households. The city also provides three temporary shelters for those eligible for housing upgrades and operates a 'Mobile Counseling Center' to offer customized on-site consultations for transportation-vulnerable groups and the elderly.

Policies for young people and newlyweds are also being expanded. The city is operating an interest support program for newlywed rental deposit loans, and in April it established the 'Pohang City Youth and Newlywed Rental Housing Support Ordinance' to provide a legal foundation for these efforts.

Based on this, the city plans to supply 100 units of 'Pohang-style Thousand-Won Housing,' where tenants can move in for a daily rent of 1,000 KRW or a monthly rent of 30,000 KRW. This initiative is expected to ease the housing cost burden for young people and contribute to local settlement and addressing the low birth rate.

In recognition of these policy achievements, Pohang City recently received a special award in the '2025 Korea Welfare Policy Awards (Local Government Category).' The opening of the Housing Welfare Center and the provision of substantial housing support were highly evaluated.

1st Korea Legislative Awards Special Prize Winner. Provided by Pohang City

To address housing needs at each stage of life, the city is promoting the supply of various types of public rental housing, including '55 Youth Stepping Stone Housing Units,' '100 Job-Linked Supportive Housing Units,' '100 Senior Welfare Housing Units,' and '28 Rural Nest Housing Units.' In addition, from 2026, the city plans to supply 400 additional purchased public rental housing units over three years.

Active improvement of aging apartment complexes is also underway. The city is implementing a management support project for 1,182 apartment complexes that are over 15 years old, contributing to the creation of a pleasant residential environment.

Projects to convert neglected urban spaces into regenerative resources are also gaining momentum. Over the past five years, 107 vacant houses have been renovated and converted into public facilities such as parking lots and community gardens. This year, the city has secured 1.2 billion KRW in national funds and is working to renovate 140 more sites.

Starting in 2026, the city also plans to renovate abandoned vacant buildings. The renovated spaces will be used as youth start-up hubs and workforce training centers, serving as bases for community revitalization and urban regeneration.

Mayor Lee Kangdeok stated, "The virtuous cycle that links housing welfare with the recovery of urban vitality is a sustainable housing policy model that fits the era of local autonomy. We will continue to expand complex housing policies that combine public interest with private sector flexibility, in order to create a stable and high-quality residential environment that citizens can truly experience."