재건축 희망고문 [시사기획 창] / KBS 2026.04.28.

Around the year 2000, apartment reconstruction in the Gangnam area of ​​Seoul began in earnest. The lyrics of a children's song, "I'll give you my old house, give me a new one," became reality as if by magic, and housing prices skyrocketed. Perhaps because of this, a vague expectation prevailed in our society that apartments would naturally be reconstructed once they aged. However, this formula for reconstruction is recently shaking. As construction costs skyrocket, the number of apartments where reconstruction has been halted is increasing. "Current Affairs Planning: Chang" analyzed how many apartments could be reconstructed in the future and traced the reasons why, while apartments in other countries are used for over 100 years, Korea requires reconstruction after only 30 years. ■ "Up to 17% of Aging Apartments Over 30 Years Old Possible for Reconstruction" According to the Population and Housing Census conducted by Statistics Korea in 2024, 12.97 million out of 19.87 million housing units in the country—65%—are apartments. Furthermore, 2.51 million units, or 19% of these apartments, were aging apartments over 30 years old. KBS commissioned a research team from the Department of Real Estate at Konkuk University to analyze how many of these aging apartments are suitable for reconstruction. The results showed that among aging apartments over 30 years old nationwide, only a maximum of 17% were suitable for reconstruction, while a staggering 83% were found to lack feasibility. In Seoul, the percentage of aging apartments suitable for reconstruction was found to be up to 30%, but there were many regions where the reconstruction feasibility rate was less than 10%. ■ Japan: "Aging of Privately Owned Apartments Is a Bigger Problem" Japan has a different housing culture from Korea. More than half of all housing consists of detached houses. In the case of "mansions" (apartments similar to ours), rentals account for 60–70%, while those sold to individuals make up only 30–40%. In major Japanese cities like Tokyo and Osaka, the number of super-tall apartments, or so-called "tower mansions," is increasing, and reconstruction and redevelopment are actively underway due to rising real estate prices. However, the situation is completely different just a short distance outside the city center. "Senboku New Town" near Osaka, where residents began moving in in 1967, is pushing for apartment reconstruction for urban regeneration; however, most of the apartments were public rental housing, and reconstruction is hardly taking place for those sold to private individuals. This is because, although consent from over 80% of residents is required, most are elderly and lack the motivation to push for reconstruction, and developers are not showing interest due to low profitability. In Japan, while public rental apartments owned by local governments or public institutions are expected to proceed with reconstruction somehow, it is considered that reconstruction will be nearly impossible for privately owned apartments. ■ Why Can't We Build Apartments That Last 100 Years? Japan estimates the lifespan of an apartment to be 50 to 70 years, stating that with proper maintenance, they can last even longer. However, apartments in Korea begin preparing for reconstruction after just 30 years. Why is there such a difference? It is said that this is because while foreign countries like Japan build apartments using a column-type structure, Korea builds them using a wall-type structure. Although wall-type structures require lower initial construction costs, plumbing and equipment are buried within the concrete slab, making repairs or replacements impossible without demolishing the slab. For this reason, it is said that after 30 years, a situation arises where reconstruction or large-scale remodeling becomes unavoidable. Korean construction companies introduced wall-type apartments around the 1980s to supply apartments cheaply and quickly in large quantities, and even today, almost all apartments are built using this method. This implies that apartments being built now will inevitably face the same problems after 30 years. A more serious issue is that apartments built or currently being built after the year 2000 have a much lower likelihood of being reconstructed. ■ Apartments Unsuitable for Reconstruction: An Uncertain Future Approaches If an apartment is not reconstructed and continues to age, its asset value is bound to decline. Given that our citizens invest the majority of their assets in housing, an unimaginable shock could occur. With the population also rapidly declining, the number of vacant apartments is expected to increase in the future. There is a significant concern that apartments abandoned by many households will become slums due to a lack of proper maintenance. Demolishing these apartments also costs money, and that cost will inevitably become a burden on future generations. Sisa Gijeok Chang has captur...