Inside Korea’s Social Impact

A book talk celebrating the publication of How Did an Apartment Become a Village?, a book documenting the story of the community apartment WESTAY Byeolnae.(Photo by Milly)    In my previous article, I introduced the origins of WESTAY Byeolnae, a community apartment operated through a social cooperative model.   👉👉Related Article How Did an Apartment Become a Village? Inside WESTAY Byeolnae, Korea's Community Housing Experiment <Part 1>   This time, I would like to share stories about the present and future of WESTAY Byeolnae based on a book talk held on June 8 to celebrate the publication of How Did an Apartment Become a Village? Among the various sessions that day, I found the residents’ personal stories and experiences particularly fascinating.   😍How Do the Residents Live?   Several residents took the stage during the book talk and, somewhat shyly, shared stories about life at WESTAY Byeolnae.   At its core, WESTAY Byeol...

  Housing in South Korea comes in many forms, but among them, apartments are by far the most recognizable. I also grew up living in apartments, so when I think of "home," an apartment is still the first image that comes to mind.   Korean society once had a strong sense of community. However, as individualism has become more prevalent in recent decades, it has become increasingly common for people not to know who lives next door, even after years of living in the same building. I remember walking to school with neighborhood friends and watching my parents build close relationships with our neighbors. At some point, though, people stopped paying attention to who lived nearby or what was happening around them.   At the same time, rising housing prices have made homeownership increasingly difficult in South Korea. Housing is often viewed not only as a place to live but also as an investment asset, creating various social tensions.   WESTAY Byeolnae is a commu...