The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 30th it selected 14 projects nationwide, totaling 1,780 households, in the "first-half 2026 specialized dwellings contest," which was held to provide optimized public rental dwellings tailored to life stages such as youth, newlyweds, and older adults.
Specialized dwellings go beyond simply providing living space to offer public rental dwellings that combine customized community spaces and life services—such as childcare and care facilities and shared offices—tailored to household characteristics. The government plans to focus financial support, including equity investment and loan from the housing & urban fund, on the selected areas.
Applications for the contest were accepted from Mar. 23 to May 22 and underwent on-site evaluations, proposal presentations, and a review by an evaluation committee. First, dwellings targeting young people accounted for the largest share at four locations (800 households). Notably, prime urban sites were widely included, such as the Sungkyunkwan University baseball field site in Dobong District, Seoul (391 households) and the mixed-use redevelopment of the old Gwangmyeong Tax Office in Gyeonggi (133 households). In addition, housing for industrial complex workers in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang (220 households) and dwellings exclusively for university students and entrepreneurs in Yuseong District, Daejeon (56 households) were also selected.
Specialized dwellings proposed by localities to meet regional needs will supply a total of 605 households across seven locations, including Incheon, Busan, Gangwon, and Jeju. In Incheon's Geomdan New Town, 80 childcare-integrated dwellings for newlyweds will be built to reduce child-rearing burdens. In the Yeongnam region—Gangseo in Busan (200 households) and Cheongsong (50 households) and Bonghwa (30 households) in North Gyeongsang—settlement environments will be created for industrial park workers and young farmers, and in Busan, open childcare spaces that local residents can also use will be established. Yeongwol (84 households) and Hoengseong (100 households) in Gangwon and Jeju City (61 households) will be utilized as hubs to prevent population outflow and strengthen job capacity through measures such as remodeling idle asset.
In addition, specialized spaces for older adults and workers will be created. In Taebaek, Gangwon, 100 households of older adult welfare dwellings will be built for seniors aged 65 or older without a home. Also, in Boeun, North Chungcheong (160 households), and Haman, South Gyeongsang (115 households), job-linked supportive housing will be established to help nearby industrial park workers commute smoothly.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to actively support administrative procedures, such as approving housing construction business plans, so the selected projects can proceed smoothly, and to systematically manage project progress so the supply of specialized dwellings can continue to expand through project briefings and tailored consulting.