Housing rights involves a right to live in an appropriate house as a member of a country. As one of the most fundamental rights granted to everyone, it is even mentioned in the constitution of Korea. KU students are empowered with these rights, too. However, there are many cases in which these rights are violated. In other words, many KU students are not residing in satisfactory and appropriate homes.

 

To deal with the infringement of housing rights of KU students, Star:zari, the 48th Korea University Student Association (KUSA), founded the Housing and Life Welfare Department. Ever since its foundation, the new department has been in the lead through diverse projects in trying to ameliorate the bad residential conditions students suffer from.

 

The Housing and Life Welfare Department started by identifying the most fundamental residential problems that were facing students. The problems were broadly categorized into two: boarding house (hasook) and solo living (jachi) problems and dormitory problems. To address these issues, the department initiated three projects as follows: boarding house and solo living welfare, dormitory welfare, and construction of a new dormitory.

 

“No Idea Where to Put Myself (Momdul bareul moreugyetda)” is a project that aims to improve the housing welfare of students residing in boarding homes or studios. The Housing and Life Welfare Department identified high housing costs and lack of information about housing as some of the biggest hurdles that were bugging students. To help through these matters, three specific programs have been implemented.

 

The first program is “Kind Realtors.” Real estate agencies that have been designated as “Kind Realtors” are literally kind. Not only do they provide students with detailed information about both the housing and the contract process, but they also give discounts on the mediation payments. What is more is that these realtors utilize a standard housing lease contract, which is deemed crucial during residential contracts. These kind agencies, designated as such by the Housing and Life Welfare Department members, work in collaboration with Star:zari to make homes better for KU students.

 

To make things more convenient, the department also runs an Accompaniment Project and Housing Counseling Sessions. The residential counselors are students who have been trained by the Minsnail Union, an organization that deals with the residential rights of youth. The counselors are trained to rightly comprehend the housing contracts and are taught precautionary tips in evaluating the conditions of a good home. Not only that, but they also learn how to deal with the most common legal issues that many students who live alone go through.

 

“So far the responses of the students have been very positive,” said Lee Yun Ji (’14, Media and Communication), head of the Housing and Living Welfare Department. Considering the fact that “No Idea Where to Put Myself” had more participants than the initial start of the housing welfare project of Yonsei University, which Star:zari benchmarked, this could definitely be seen as a good start. “This is only the beginning. We are planning more projects like building a share-house and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CEPTED) zone,” Lee added.

 

Dormitories also have their share of problems. Although the welfare problems that occur in the old dormitory and the new one differ, the biggest common problem is their high prices. “The Frontier dormitory fee is over 400,000 won, which costs more than living alone,” said Lee. “What is worse is that Frontier has not been transparent with respect to the fees collected,” explained Lee, which is why Star:zari filed an information release request litigation against Frontier.

 

The problem did not stop with high prices though. They went further with facilities as well as living welfare. “There are countless problems—little and big—when it comes to dormitory issues,” Lee said. The most fundamental problem intimidating students’ housing rights was, as Lee expressed, that “there is no place that can actually listen to students’ concerns.” Because there is no Sasaenghoe—a KU student council for dormitory life—for Frontier student residents, there is no place that students can rely on for the protection of their welfare.

 

The Housing and Life Welfare Department is currently trying to arrange talks with the KU administration to get these welfare problems fixed. Working in cooperation with the President of Sasaenghoe, the department sent an archive to the school requesting for the construction of a new dormitory, and enforcing the role of Sasaenghoe in the Dormitory Operation Committee. It has been a few months since the archive was sent, but thus far there is no answer. “It seems as if the school does not want to talk to us, when we want to talk and actually get things worked out,” Lee said.

 

Another major project that the Housing and Life Welfare Dormitory is advancing is the construction of a new dormitory. It is planning on acceding with the Dotori Project that Jieum initiated last year. The plan to make a KU pledge to construct a new dormitory is not yet fully unveiled—the department will work full-scale after the general elections in April. “We acknowledge the fact that because the Dotori project failed, it may be even harder for us to accede to it this year,” said Lee. “However, we are not willing to give up.”

 

This is the first time students’ housing rights have been discussed on the table so broadly and systematically. The ultimate goal of the Housing and Life Welfare Department is to listen to the voices of students one by one and aggregate them into one big voice that can bring about change. Lee said it is a pity that many students think the KUSA is somewhat too big to talk to, but that is not true. “We want to lower the barriers of KUSA and facilitate an open space wherein communication freely goes back and forth,” she said. “For the housing welfare of KU students, we will do our best,” she pledged.