Asian Coalition for Housing Rights

Countries

South Korea

Inroduction

The ACCA process in Korea strikes a special chord for ACHR, since it was in Korea that ACHR was born, twenty years ago. When the huge evictions were taking place in Seoul back then, in preparation for the Olympics, the crisis galvanised Korea’s housing rights movement, drew support from sympathetic activists and professionals around Asia and led to the birth of the ACHR coalition. The struggle against those evictions brought about some positive changes for the poorest urban Koreans - particularly the right of poor tenants in neighbourhoods undergoing “redevelopment” to be re-housed in subsidised public rental housing in the same area. Twenty years later and after Korea’s rise to the ranks of Asia’s most powerful economies, we all expected that things in Seoul would have settled down. In fact, the process of “redevelopment” in Seoul is not only still going on, but it’s speeding up. In 2011 some 50 neighbourhoods were in the process of being bulldozed, to be replaced by gleaming and high-priced condo blocks and 8-lane boulevards. With a new Mayor, South Koreans and ACHR are hoping for a new approach in partnership with the Seoul city's urban poor and in other cities around the country.

2014: In Phase 2 of the ACCA program an additional 1 large project and 20 smaller projects have been approved in 4 cities and towns .

South Korea Update December 2014

All the latest ACCA stat.s from South Korea
Searching for alternatives to eviction in the name of “development”.
Community planning with Vinyl House dwellers
Making New space for communities
New option: housing developed by COOPERATIVES

on the above topics ... 2 page extract from ACCA 5 Year Report

As we construct the NEW ACHR website we will add more information on each country. For now please consider the Country Library section below where PDF downloads with copious information is available.

Country Library - SOUTH KOREA

August 2012 FIELD TRIPS TO COMMUNITIES in Seoul

Notes on 6 urban poor communities in Seoul

9 pages text and photos 643 KB

The "Inclusive Cities Workshop" in Seoul. (One page Extract from E-News Oct 2012)
It happened on August 10 2012, as a collaboration between ACHR, Citynet, Asian Bridge, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the network of "vinyl house" communities in Seoul.

December 2011 Extract on South Korea from ACCA 2nd Year Report

Searching for alternatives to policies causing eviction in the name of “redevelopment” . . . CITYNET Secratariate is moving to Seoul

1 Page photos & text 162 KB

2009 ACHR TEAM REPORT KOREA AFTER 20 YEARS

After 20 years ACHR visited South Korea to see that the housing situation for the urban poor is no better . The 18 page newsletter-style report presents a colourful, detailed account of the discussions which took place during the 4-day visit with vinyl house communities, with unions of public rental housing tenants, with neighbourhood associations in areas undergoing redevelopment and with housing rights activists and NGOs. PDF report from the ACHR team

18 page text and photos 2.2 mgbs