[Anchor]

Monthly rent around university areas in Seoul has been soaring recently. As the autumn semester begins and students return to school, the burden of skyrocketing housing costs is pushing them further away from campus into even worse living conditions.

Reporter Im Jihyeon investigated the scene with a real estate agent.

[Reporter]

A studio apartment in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul.

Measuring 7.6 square meters, it is almost completely filled when an adult male lies down in the remaining space. This is about half the minimum housing area required for a single-person household, yet the deposit is 5 million won with a monthly rent of 300,000 won.

The shower filter in the cramped bathroom has turned yellowish,

[Kim Jae-guk / Real estate agent: How can anyone possibly take a shower in a space this tight? You have to leave the door open while showering. My heart aches even as I show this room to clients.]

When the window is opened, a train roars past with a loud noise every five minutes.

Even so, the unit was recently put on the market and rented out in less than a week.

In another studio apartment without a kitchen, the small refrigerator door opens only halfway,

[It hits the bed, doesn't it?]

Rooms where the refrigerator door can open fully lack individual bathrooms and shower rooms.

On the way to a studio apartment requiring a 2 million won deposit and 300,000 won monthly rent, as you can see, you have to climb a steep hill like this for more than 10 minutes.

[College student: Housing near the base of the mountain is relatively cheaper. As I looked for the cheapest place possible, I ended up getting further and further away from the center. It feels like being pushed outward.]

Compared to last year, monthly rent rose the most around Seoul National University at 26%, followed by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies at 15.1% and Yonsei University at 10.4%.

The average rent across all university districts in Seoul increased by 8%, significantly compounding the burden of housing costs.

[Ahn Jae-hong / Job seeker: I chose this place focusing only on the price and a place to sleep. It takes a while for hot water to come out, though. About five to seven minutes?]

Implementing alternatives such as building more university dormitories or utilizing local public housing is not easy.

This is because there is a lack of available land and public housing, and local landlords strongly oppose such projects.

[Seo Dong-gyu / Chairperson of Mindalpaengi Union: There are instances where people oppose them, claiming that building such housing threatens the livelihoods of landlords, leaving students to manage on their own by paying higher deposits or monthly rent.]

As various prices continue to soar alongside mounting housing costs, the living spaces for college students are becoming increasingly substandard.

(Video editing: Kim Jun-hee, VJ: Kim Hyung-jin, Design: Kang Yoon-jung)