A Study on Living Conditions and Thermal Environment in Korean Jjok-bangs

Abstract

A Jjok-bang is a subdivided rental housing unit inhabited by low-income residents. Each renter occupies a single small room and must share bathroom and kitchen facilities with other residents. These vulnerable individuals struggle with both housing and energy poverty and are often on the verge of homelessness. Jjok-bang houses are typically old buildings that do not have proper heating, cooling, insulation, or ventilation systems, so it is necessary to develop a welfare program to advocate for Jjok-bang residents who are vulnerable to the dangers posed by substandard housing environments. In this study, a thermal environment measurement and an interview survey of Jjok-bang residents were conducted and result of thermal vulnerability assessment based on PMV method were presented. Of the surveyed residents, 87.7% were either unemployed or day laborers living in Jjok-bang due to financial difficulties. The house surveyed was an old building that had been constructed more than 40 years ago and was poorly insulated. The results of indoor thermal environment measurements and PMV analysis showed that neither winter nor summer living conditions satisfied the minimum housing standards suggested by domestic and international guidelines.