Substandard settlements and joint redevelopment projects in Seoul

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore substandard settlements in terms of major eviction programs in Seoul. Despite the economic growth and progress of a formal democracy, the grassroots in Korean society are still suffering from rising rent costs and forced evictions, particularly in the joint redevelopment project (JRP) areas. The government policy toward substandard settlements has usually been based on wholesale removal instead of preventative medicine. In Seoul, housing renewal projects are not distributing housing according to individual and collective needs. Millions of poor people, or squatters, have been evicted in the past two decades in Korea. It is observed that housing renewal projects typically involve serious human rights violations. The government usually justifies evictions in two ways; ‘beautify’ or ‘improve’ the city and ‘housing renewal’. Substandard settlements should be upgraded for the poor rather than cleared with bulldozers. It preserves a low-cost housing system, usually at advantageous locations, thus enabling the inhabitants to retain the maximum disposal income.