A view of the glass wall-like windows at Tower Palace in Dogok-dong, southern Seoul in this 2022 file photo. The residential/commercial admixture apartment was groundbreaking when it first appeared in 2002, using the "curtain wall" method, according to Wikipedia. Hankook Ilbo file photo

There is renewed and intense focus on increasing the housing supply in Seoul. Officials in the Lee Jae Myung administration describe its housing policy as "dakgong," which in Korean both literal and figuratively means "shut up and supply."

In early August, the government announced that it has plan to supply some 230,000 units, about 100,000 of which will come from designated public housing districts in the greater Seoul area. Just how the administration will do that has prompted questions about what makes for good housing.

Seoul, the capital city replete with jobs, a strong public transportation system and other infrastructure, is crowed. Finding the right housing, rental or owned, that both fits within your budget and satisfies your needs is a tall order.

On the house hunt for more than three decades, this writer was fortunate to have lived in a "guchuk," or apartment built in old style, block concrete with outdoor........

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