The government, which had sought to allow bathtubs to be installed in each room of goshiwons, said it would reconsider the plan amid public backlash.
According to the government on the 23rd, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 12th gave advance notice of legislation for a revision to the "building standards for multi-occupancy living facilities" that would allow bathtubs to be installed inside goshiwon rooms, which has been banned since 2015, and abolish the requirement to install study facilities such as desks.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said the intent was to ease regulations unrelated to safety as goshiwons are increasingly used as living spaces for single-person households. It was also a decision reflecting requests from small and midsize businesses to improve regulations.
But a wave of harsh criticism followed over its effectiveness. Critics raised concerns that putting bathtubs in cramped, substandard spaces would worsen hygiene and humidity issues and could be exploited as a pretext to raise rents and deposits. Users expressed dissatisfaction, saying that strengthening cooking, ventilation, soundproofing, and fire safety standards is more urgent.
As public criticism mounted, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it would fully reconsider the change. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said, "We will reconsider the regulation in light of the various opinions raised during the advance notice process."
As the housing crisis for young people has deepened recently, various alternatives have been proposed, but critics say they lack effectiveness. Earlier this month, Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea proposed the so-called "scrapped-bus youth housing" idea to remodel buses slated for disposal and offer them as short-term housing near universities for young people, but the proposal drew a backlash.