Actor who missed out on youth rental housing applies for long-vacant public unit

Actor Park Kyung-hye (33), known for her roles in "Escape from Mogadishu" and "Veteran 2," has drawn fresh attention to a little-known public housing program after sharing that she applied for a long-vacant rental unit.

In a video recently posted to singer and actor Hyeri's YouTube channel, Park said she had spent Monday applying for a long-vacant public rental apartment. When Hyeri asked what she had been up to that day, Park said, "I went to apply for a long-unrented apartment."

Hyeri said she was startled at first, thinking Park meant she was renting out an organ. Park clarified that it was the second round of applications and she had gone to submit hers.

Park described the program as one in which the government supplies units that have sat vacant for at least six months after a previous tenant moved out, offering them at below-market rates.

"If you raise the deposit, you can lower the monthly rent further," she added. "The conditions happened to match what I could afford, so I applied."

Park had earlier drawn attention when she revealed her first solo apartment on the MBC variety program "I Live Alone," saying her move toward independent living had been delayed because she kept failing to secure youth rental housing.

She said she lives in a roughly 20-square-meter studio in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, with a deposit of 50 million won ($37,400) and a combined monthly payment of 590,000 won covering rent, maintenance fees and parking.

The youth rental housing program Park repeatedly failed to enter is a category of subsidized housing supplied or supported by the central government, public institutions and local authorities to ease the housing burden on young people.

The long-vacant purchase rental housing Park mentioned on the YouTube channel is a form of public rental housing in which units that have gone unoccupied for at least six months from the date they became vacant are renovated and made available. According to the Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation, the program differs from standard purchase rental housing in that some eligibility requirements have been relaxed to address units that have sat empty without a tenant for extended periods.

Residents can rent these units at 50 to 70 percent of their appraised value. The initial lease term is two years, with one renewal allowed, and a further extension is possible if there are no applicants on the waiting list — allowing tenants to stay for up to six years. Residents must remain without property ownership throughout their stay.

Priority is given to members of households with no property ownership whose average monthly household income is at or below 130 percent of the previous year's average monthly income for urban workers. When multiple applicants share the same priority ranking, the tenant is selected by lottery.

Meanwhile, Park is a 15-year veteran who made her debut in the 2011 film "Aedbeolun." She became known to wider audiences through her role as a virgin ghost in the drama series "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" and has appeared in supporting and minor roles across numerous dramas and films since.