Habitat for Humanity South Korea
| Contact information | HFH South Korea
Songjook Building
358-14 Sindang2-dong, Jung-gu
2nd Floor to 5th Floor
Seoul
100-828
South Korea
Phone: +82 222673702
Fax: +82 222375781
E-mail: habitat@habitat.or.kr
| | Web site | www.habitat.or.kr
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South Korea -- Habitat for Humanity Int'l 1
CURRENTLY AMONG the world’s 20 largest economies, South Korea was a picture of poverty two generations ago. In the 1950s, war had ravaged the Korean peninsula and South Korea was one of the poorest places on earth. Over the decades, country and its people have created a unique prosperity. The numbers of people living in poverty has fallen steadily. In November 2009, Korea joined the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development as its newest member, marking the first time that a former aid recipient became a donor.
Yet in spite of a higher standard of living, housing is not always affordable. Recent Korean research data showed housing prices across the country rising in 2010 for a sixth consecutive year and by the fastest pace in four years.
Escalating land prices have also made it difficult for lower income families to afford decent shelter. The dramatic increase in population density has compounded the housing issue, resulting in the need for creative uses of available land.
In 1992, a group of volunteers investigated whether the Habitat for Humanity concept could be effective in South Korea. With land donated by a Christian communal village and funds provided by individual donors, these volunteers completed three houses in Yangju county, Uijeongbu city, Gyeonggi province, about 30 km. north of Seoul, two years later.
The program really took after 2001 when Habitat’s largest annual volunteer event, the Carter Work Project, took place in Korea. The country’s then president, Kim Dae-Jung, was among 9,000 volunteers to join former US president Jimmy Carter as they built 136 homes in one week on multiple sites.
HFH Korea plays an active role in the Habitat world, building houses at home as well as abroad. To date, Habitat has provided over 1,700 families in Korea and 3,000 families overseas with secure and affordable housing and related support services.
HFH Korea also responds to calamities at home and as far afield as Nepal. The government’s overseas aid arm, Korea International Cooperation Agency, has channeled more than US$300,000 through HFH Korea to support housing projects in Nepal and Vietnam in Asia, and Madagascar in Africa.
Habitat also extends the reach of its programs through resource centers. HFH Korea launched its first resource center in August 2009 in Hwaseong city on the outskirts of the capital Seoul. Another two resource centers will open in Yangpyeong in the north and Pohang in the east.
HFH Korea is a strong supporter of Global Village international volunteer builds. Each year, South Korea sends between 50 and 60 teams overseas, to various countries in the Asia-Pacific region and, more recently, to other regions of the world. HFH Korea also sends teams of college students to build in Habitat’s post-disaster reconstruction projects. Teams have worked in Pakistan, Indonesia and Sichuan, China.
HABITAT HIGHLIGHTS
COUNTRY FACTS
Population: 48,636,068 (July 2010 est.)
Capital: Seoul
Area: 99,720 sq. km.
Ethnic Groups: Korean
Languages: Korean, some English spoken
Religions: Christian 27.2 % (Protestant 19.8%, Roman catholic 7.4 %), Buddhist 25.3 %, other or unknown 1.4 %, none 46.1 % (2003 census)
Literacy: 97.2% (2002)
Urbanization: 33% (2008)
Population Living on US$1.25 a Day: 2% (2000)
Access to Improved Water Sources: 98% (2009)
Access to Improved Sanitation Facilities: 100% (2009)
Sources: CIA World Factbook, World Bank
Updated January 2011