Fifty years ago the war-ravaged Korean peninsula was among the poorest places on earth. South Korea, as one of the four “Asian tigers”, went on to experience rapid growth and industrialisation in the decades that followed and has become a major economy and a member of the G20.
But the increasing population density and escalating land prices mean that many lower-income South Koreans find it difficult to afford decent housing.
The Habitat for Humanity Korea, a non-profit, nationwide charity project focused seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness, has since 1992 built more than 1,000 affordable houses in South Korea. Each year the charity organises a “Build Blitz”, where large numbers of volunteers spend part of their holiday building dozens of homes during a five-day event.
The houses are about 60 square metres in size and feature two bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room and a bathroom.