| Title |
Refugee Housing by the South Korean Government During and After the Korean War, 1951-1956 |
| Authors |
유인희(Yu, Inhee) ; 김현섭(Kim, Hyon-Sob) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2024.40.11.155 |
| Keywords |
Korean War; Refugee housing; Refugee Settlement and Assimilation Project; Relief; Housing policy; 1950s |
| Abstract |
This study examines refugee housing in South Korea during the early to mid-1950s, a period that has received limited attention in existing
research. The housing shortage caused by the Korean War led the government to implement various policies aimed at addressing the refugee
crisis. By analyzing the construction of different types of refugee housing, this study reveals the complex interaction between government
policies, international aid, local responses, and the lives of refugees. The findings show that the government's housing projects helped alleviate
the shortage by providing numerous temporary shelters and over 165,000 permanent housing units. The study also highlights the significant
role of the United Nations Civil Assistance Command Korea (UNCACK) in improving both the quantity and quality of refugee housing,
alongside the better-known contributions of the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency (UNKRA). Additionally, the Resettlement
Housing initiative, part of the Refugee Resettlement and Assimilation Project, played a key role in the country's post-war reconstruction.
While changes in U.S. aid policy after 1957 led to a decline in government-built refugee housing, the early projects laid a crucial foundation
for post-war recovery and national development. |