Exclusive: Over 245 units in LH senior welfare housing sit vacant for 6 months or more

More than 200 units in Korea Land and Housing Corporation senior welfare housing complexes — which include on-site welfare facilities — have sat vacant for six months or more, data show. The long-term vacancy rate at the worst-performing complexes stands at roughly one in four units, prompting calls to investigate the causes of empty units and improve occupancy.

According to data submitted to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Mi-ae of the National Assembly's Land and Transportation Committee by Korea Land and Housing Corporation, as of the end of August, 339 units — or 8 percent — of the 4,225 units across 36 senior welfare housing complexes nationwide that had begun accepting residents were vacant.

Of those, 245 units, or 5.8 percent, had been empty for six months or longer, accounting for 72.3 percent of all vacant units. The figure includes 28 units across three Seoul complexes — Junggye 3, Junggye 9 and Beondong 3 — where the corporation has withheld supply as part of a redevelopment relocation plan.

Long-term vacancies were found in 24 of the 36 complexes. The Pyeongtaek Godeok A-58 block complex, also known as Pyeongtaek Godeok 15, had the highest long-term vacancy rate at 25.4 percent, with 29 of its 114 units empty for more than six months. The Yeongam Nampung complex in South Jeolla Province (15.0 percent), the Gunsan Oryong complex in North Jeolla Province (14.7 percent) and the Boryeong Myeongcheon complex in South Chungcheong Province (13.3 percent) also posted long-term vacancy rates above 10 percent. Long-term vacancies were also recorded at the Incheon Geomdan 38 complex, which opened to residents in August last year, and the Gyeongju Hwangseong complex, which opened in November last year.

Kim's office said welfare facilities inside the complexes are not being used for their intended purposes and called for a review of services provided to residents. The social welfare center linked to the Pyeongtaek Godeok 15 complex was listed as "not in operation," while facilities at the Yeongam Nampung LH 2 complex — a dementia day care center and a senior club — and at the Namhae Changseon Nuritown complex, which shares space with a township health clinic, were found to be operating for purposes other than those originally designated.

According to the lawmaker's office, the long-term vacancy rate at the three complexes without operating social welfare centers stood at 19.5 percent — 48 of 246 units — roughly four times the 5.0 percent rate at the remaining 33 complexes, which had 197 of 3,979 units vacant, a figure that includes the three complexes where supply has been withheld under the redevelopment relocation plan.

Four additional complexes totaling 578 units have yet to begin accepting residents: the Donghae Cheongok complex in Gangwon Province (318 units), the Gyeongju Naenam complex in North Gyeongsang Province (90 units), the Inje Seohwa complex in Gangwon Province (70 units) and the Jeju Hwabuk complex on Jeju (100 units).

"Senior welfare housing is a policy designed to provide older adults with both stable housing and welfare services, and the fact that hundreds of units remain vacant long-term is a signal that demand forecasting and site selection need to be reviewed," Kim said. "We need to look into the causes of vacancies at each complex, as well as the operational plans and current status of complexes where welfare centers are not running."