Son Sook-mee
The author is the chair of the Gender Equality Committee at the Hansun Foundation and a former head of the Korea Population, Health and Welfare Association.
For decades, Korea’s marriage culture has been built around the idea of a “fully prepared marriage.” A couple was expected to secure a respectable newlywed home, typically through a
jeonse lease, furnish it adequately and hold stable jobs before crossing the threshold into married life. Although attitudes have evolved, traces of this traditional mindset remain deeply embedded in the public consciousness.
With monthly-rent contracts accounting for nearly 70 percent of all housing lease transactions in Seoul, a real estate agency in the capital on May 31 displays listings for home sales and monthly rentals only, with jeonse properties notably absent. [YONHAP]
