'Let us stay': Seoul tenants dispute 20-year lease expirations

Seoul's long-term jeonse housing was designed to allow residents to stay for up to 20 years before giving other households that do not own a home an opportunity. As the first tenants approach the end of their leases, some have requested extensions or the option to buy, citing rising housing costs and an aging population.

The Seoul city government says it will retain the existing terms to ensure fairness to households on the waiting list and former tenants who have already moved out. Alongside the question of blanket extensions, support to help vulnerable households move into other public rental housing also merits consideration.