• Land and Housing Review
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.31-47
• /
• 2022

This paper examines residential environment quality and housing expenses of young households through longitudinal analysis. Using the 5^th and 15^th Korea Welfare Panel Study (KoWePS), this research compared their housing outcomes with those of the Korean households. The statistical analysis revealed that most young households were highly-educated, salaried workers who were predominantly married men in their early 30s. There was a sharp rise in the number of female householders and one-person households. Also, the young households were largely renters of mid-sized multi-family housing with two bedrooms in non-Seoul Metropolitan Area. Their housing expense was slightly higher than the national average. As a proportion of renters of multi-family housing (exclusive of apartments) rose, the proportion of young households who spent more than 25% of their income increased faster than the national average. The proportion of young households in the Seoul Metropolitan Area outpaced the national average. Their monthly rental arrangements grew in contrast to no change in the nationwide monthly rental arrangement over the survey period, resulting in their high burden on housing expenses. Their homeownership rate was below the national average, and it decreased while the overall homeownership rate increased nationwide, implying that their housing affordability was worsened, which made it difficult for them to move up the housing ladder. Thus, this research suggests housing policies that scale up support for young households.