LH to Provide Displaced Guryong Village Residents with Free Rental Housing for Two Years

[Financial News]  The government has turned to offering LH rental housing free of charge and deploying modular homes for residents who lost their homes overnight in a fire at Guryong Village in Gangnam.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 28th, the government plans to actively support residents displaced by the fire that broke out the previous day in Guryong Village, Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, to help stabilize their housing situation.
The fire started around 3:50 p.m. on the 27th in District 2 of Guryong Village. Strong winds and a shortage of firefighting water slowed efforts to put it out, and the flames spread to districts 1 and 3. It was not fully brought under control until around 4:39 a.m. the following day, nearly 13 hours later. According to Gangnam-gu, 107 people from 77 households in districts 1–3 lost their homes. They are temporarily staying in the gymnasiums at Gaepo Middle School and Guryong Middle School and in nearby hotels. A woman in her 30s injured her leg and was taken to hospital. The exact cause of the fire is expected to be determined through a joint investigation by police and other agencies.
Modular homes are ready as an option for providing support quickly. They are built in advance at a factory, transported to the site and assembled there, and LH has set aside 100 units to support displaced residents. If local governments, including the Seoul Metropolitan Government, request them, they sign a contract with LH; once a local government secures a site, LH transports and installs the homes. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport says preparations are complete to provide support as soon as a request is received.
More stable accommodation is provided through the Emergency Housing Support Program. Under the program, displaced people who have lost their homes due to disasters can use available LH rental housing and similar accommodation free of charge for two years. It is based on Article 23-3 of the Enforcement Rule of the Special Act on Public Housing. The program eases displaced residents’ housing-cost burden, with LH and local governments each covering half the cost.
The government plans to continue consultations with relevant agencies, including the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and actively develop housing support measures so displaced residents can return to their daily lives as soon as possible.


[email protected] Jung Kyung-soo Reporter