"Bathtubs in goshiwon rooms? Ridiculed like a scrap bus" ... Young people sigh, asking, "Whose idea was this?"

[Financial News] The government said it would reflect changes in housing conditions for one-person households by removing the mandatory desk requirement for individual goshiwon rooms and allowing bathtubs. The move drew criticism as a textbook case of bureaucratic desk-bound policymaking.

According to industry sources on the 20th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced an administrative notice on the 12th for revisions to the building standards for multi-occupancy living facilities. The revision would abolish the rule requiring study-related facilities such as desks in individual goshiwon rooms and would allow bathtubs.
Under current standards, goshiwon are required to have study facilities such as desks in each room, reflecting their original introduction as spaces for both study and lodging.
To prevent goshiwon from turning into independent residential facilities, cooking facilities and bathtubs are prohibited inside individual rooms. However, shower booths are allowed for basic hygiene management.
The ministry said it is revising unnecessary regulations to reflect the reality that goshiwon are now widely used as housing for one-person households.

But among young people who actually use goshiwon, criticism emerged that this was a typical example of desk-bound policymaking. On online communities and social media, users said, "They are talking nonsense without even knowing what a goshiwon is," "If you install a bathtub in a goshiwon room, moisture will not escape and only mold will grow ... It is already upsetting to have no home, and this feels like mockery," "Who came up with such an idea? They should sleep in a bathroom," and "If related facilities are added, construction costs will rise, so won't the burden just be passed on to rent?"
Seoul Metropolitan City Mayor Oh Se-hoon also criticized the government's youth housing policy and directly raised the issue of easing goshiwon regulations.
At a forum held that morning at the National Assembly by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Metropolitan Chapter of the People Power Party, Oh said, "The youth housing problem will not be solved by converting scrap buses into living spaces or by removing desks from goshiwon and installing bathtubs." He added, "The government's role is not to keep young people in poor housing conditions, but to build a housing ladder so they can move up to better homes."
In response to the backlash, the ministry explained that the revision does not make bathtubs mandatory. Instead, it selectively allows installations that were previously banned, with the aim of updating the standards to better fit reality after gathering opinions from the industry and others. It plans to collect feedback on the revision until the 31st and then finalize and implement the new version.
[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter