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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Trapped in '42-Degree Ovens': South Korean Residents of Vinyl Houses Lack Support

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Residents of informal settlements in Gwacheon, South Korea, are enduring extreme indoor temperatures exceeding 42 degrees Celsius in their makeshift vinyl houses.
  • These communities, often built on former "shantytowns," lack basic infrastructure like adequate electricity and plumbing, forcing residents to seek refuge elsewhere during the day.
  • Despite paying local taxes, residents receive no government support for essential services like cooling or fire safety, leaving them vulnerable to harsh weather and fire hazards.

Residents of Gwacheon's "Honeybee Village" are facing dire living conditions, with indoor temperatures soaring to 42 degrees Celsius in their residential vinyl houses during the summer. Many are forced to leave their homes during the day to escape the oppressive heat, seeking refuge in community centers or subway stations.

In the summer, the indoor temperature rises to 42 degrees Celsius. Because multiple households share a single electricity meter, we can't even comfortably use air conditioners due to concerns about charges and short circuits.

— Cho Do-wonA resident of Honeybee Village in Gwacheon, describing the extreme heat and electrical limitations in his vinyl house.

The village, comprised of approximately 350 households in vinyl structures, originated from informal settlements established in the 1980s. The structures themselves are prone to hazards, with lingering mold smells from the rainy season and visible burn marks indicating a high risk of fire, especially given the limited ability to use cooling appliances due to shared electricity meters and concerns about overloading the system.

Basic necessities like running water are also a challenge, with residents relying on bottled water or water from public fountains. Despite paying resident taxes, the community receives no government assistance for infrastructure improvements or disaster preparedness, as their dwellings are considered illegal structures. "Summer just needs to pass quickly," one resident lamented.

We pay resident taxes, but because they are illegal structures, we don't receive any government support.

— Cho Do-wonExplaining the lack of government assistance for residents of informal settlements.

Nationwide, an estimated 10,000 households live in similar precarious conditions in vinyl houses and shacks, often overlooked by government support programs. Experts emphasize the need to provide basic safety measures for these residents, regardless of the legality of their housing. The lack of proper facilities makes them susceptible to fires, with recent incidents in Seoul and Siheung resulting in injuries and fatalities, underscoring the urgent need for intervention.

Regardless of whether the building is illegal, it is a space where people actually live, so minimum safety measures must be in place.

— Gong Ha-seongProfessor of Fire and Disaster Prevention at Woosuk University, advocating for safety provisions for residents of informal dwellings.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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