• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.11-23
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to explore cohort changes in first-time homeownership in Korea. The study collected qualitative data from individual interviews to explore the housing trajectories of different birth cohorts. As a result, Individual interviews facilitated an exploration of the decision making process of first-time homeowner with in a cohort context. The cohorts born in the 1950s seek a sense of security through homeownership, and have strong Korean sentiments of ownership. They tried various means to buy a house, and real estate market boom at that time played a role in the driving force. The cohorts born in the 1960s have less insecurity of tenure than the previous cohorts, but they still feel the need for homeownership. Since the currency crisis in 1997 caused the fluctuation of housing price, the 1960s cohort experienced a dramatic decline and rebound of assets while the previous cohorts had experienced a steady rise in housing prices. Finally, the attitude towards housing in the group of 1970s cohorts has changed from ownershiporiented to use-oriented.