As a district where major universities are located in, the head of Seodaemun-gu provided 16 students with a price-friendly residence which students could afford without much difficulty, calling the university student exclusive rental house “Dreaming Loft.”
The university-student-exclusive rental house was originally a public facility for the elders, which was not much used. Seodaemun-gu spent more than 100 million won and remodeled the building into a university student exclusive rental house. After remodeling, it now consists of two floors and a total of eight rooms for two students. In each room, there is a kitchen, refrigerator, bathroom, shower booth, washing machine, desks, and a bunk bed.
Sixteen selected students moved into the Dreaming Loft on June 24. As there was limited space for students to move in, Seodaemun-gu had to bring together a resident commission board to select 16 college students out of the 128 applicants.
The criteria were: Whether the student was from a low-income household, whether the student was from minor cities, and whether the student goes to school in Seodaemun-gu. Nine out of 69 Yonsei University applicants, four out of 22 Myeongji University applicants, two out of 13 Ewha Womans University applicants, and one applicant from Kyeongki University were accepted into the Dreaming Loft.
For a student searching for an inexpensive residence house, the Dreaming Loft is a desirable option. The value of lease is four to five hundred thousand won, with a deposit of one million won.
“Residing here at the Dreaming Loft is a greater advantage than living in the school dormitory. As all daily necessaries are supplied, I can settle anything within the rental house. Above all, I am relieved that I have taken the pecuniary burden off my parents’ shoulders,” Kim Ju-young (Myongji University, 2) said.
Satisfied with the successful outcome of the Dreaming Loft, Seodaemun-gu is planning its second university student exclusive rental house in Yeonhui-dong.
“We will be working with Seoul City to build a new dwelling, which will be able to hold more university students than the Dreaming Loft, above what used to be a parking site,” said Lee Hyung-wook, the chief official of the Seodaemun-gu educational planning team.
Though the Dreaming Loft can only house 16 students now, the new university-student-exclusive rental house aims to house approximately 70. The purpose of this project is to provide a high-quality environment where more students can attend to their studies with diligence.
“There are a relatively high number of universities in the Seodaemun-gu region, and for this reason students have difficulty finding an affordable house. This is why we decided to promote the Dreaming Loft project. We will continue to improve the housing environment for university students within Seodaemun–gu region,” Lee said.
Ko Min-seok
minseok_ko@ewhain.net