Full transcript
0:00In a single tiny room of roughly 6.6
0:02square meters, a bathtub sits awkwardly,
0:05taking up nearly half the space.
0:07>> [music]
0:08>> This AI-generated image was created to
0:10satirize the South Korean government's
0:12recent decision to allow bathtubs in
0:15individual goshawon rooms. A goshawon is
0:18a tiny, budget-friendly room in Korea
0:20that typically requires little to no
0:22security deposit, [music]
0:24includes utilities, and offers shared or
0:27private bathrooms. On August 12th,
0:29[music] the Ministry of Land,
0:30Infrastructure, and Transport announced
0:33a proposed revision to building
0:34regulations that would allow [music]
0:36bathtubs to be installed in individual
0:38goshawon rooms. The change was intended
0:41to reflect the reality that goshawons
0:43are increasingly being used as long-term
0:45homes by young people and other [music]
0:48single-person households amid rising
0:50housing costs. The revision would also
0:52remove the requirement for each room to
0:55have a dedicated study space, [music]
0:56such as a desk.
0:58However, the proposal quickly drew
1:00criticism, with some arguing that the
1:03changes could ultimately lead to higher
1:05monthly rents while continuing to
1:07prohibit facilities residents [music]
1:09actually need, such as private cooking
1:11areas.
1:26Some said the proposal was reminiscent
1:28of a lawmaker's recent bus house
1:30proposal, which suggested using
1:32decommissioned buses as housing for
1:35young people. Online users also poked
1:37fun at the government by creating memes
1:40that featured cramped rooms with
1:42bathtubs being used as desks,
1:44accompanied by the slogan, "New housing
1:46for young people." Amid growing public
1:49backlash, the government recently
1:51announced it would reconsider the plan
1:53just 9 days after making the initial
1:55proposal. A ministry official explained
1:58that the original decision was aimed at
2:00easing regulations while accounting for
2:03the diverse ways Kushiwans are operated.