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Transforming Vacant Homes in the Urban Core into Housing for International Students: Mayor Park Heong-joon Says “A City Where Young People Stay and Communities Come Alive”

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will hold an opening ceremony today at 14:00 at 457-50 Cheonghak-dong, Yeongdo-gu for an international student dormitory of Korea Maritime & Ocean University created by utilizing a vacant house.

The ceremony has been arranged to share a case in which a long-abandoned vacant house in the urban center has been newly renovated and transformed into residential space for international students, and to widely introduce a utilization model that adds new value to vacant houses through cooperation between the local community and a university.

About 20 people are expected to attend the ceremony, including the Director General of the Housing and Architecture Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, the Chairperson of the Special Committee on Countermeasures for Local Extinction, the Mayor of Yeongdo-gu, the President of Korea Maritime & Ocean University, and international students.

The Cheonghak-dong dormitory, which will begin occupancy this time, was created by remodeling a long-abandoned vacant house that had negatively affected the urban landscape and residential environment. It has been prepared as residential space capable of accommodating five international students.

In addition, Busan Metropolitan City is also developing another international student dormitory by utilizing a vacant house in Dongsam-dong, Yeongdo-gu, and that facility is scheduled to be completed at the end of March.

Once both dormitories are in operation, a stable residential base for a total of ten international students is expected to be established.

This dormitory project was carried out through the “Vacant House Purchase and Living SOC Development Project” public contest promoted by Busan Metropolitan City last year for district governments, through which Busan Metropolitan City, Yeongdo-gu, and Korea Maritime & Ocean University cooperated to convert vacant houses into residential spaces for young international students.

Following its selection through the contest, Yeongdo-gu promoted a project to create international student dormitories by utilizing abandoned vacant houses. A total project budget of 735 million won, funded jointly by the city and the district, was invested for both the Cheonghak-dong dormitory and the Dongsam-dong dormitory scheduled for completion at the end of March.

Busan Metropolitan City evaluates this project as a case of regional cooperation that simultaneously resolves the vacant house issue and supports housing for international students by converting abandoned vacant houses into residential spaces needed in the community.

In particular, the project is expected to expand the living population through the inflow of young international students and bring new vitality to the old downtown area.

It is also meaningful as a leading model that goes beyond simply demolishing or leaving vacant houses unused, instead creating new utilization value through collaboration between the community and a university.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “This project is a meaningful example of revitalizing a long-abandoned vacant house into a space where young international students can live, bringing new vitality to the community. Busan Metropolitan City will continue to discover diverse models that transform vacant houses into spaces truly needed by local communities and build a city where young people stay and communities come alive.”