Key Money and Renting, and the People In-Between

The documentary shows the reality of Korea’s housing rental system especially focused on young people. Key money housing is the most popular and unique rental system in Korea. It is a form of private loan which requires the tenant to make a deposit of about twothirds of the total cost of the leased property in lieu of monthly payment and the key money is returned when the lease expires. However, the key money housing market is experiencing a dramatic change these days, as the key money has been rising for 60 consecutive weeks in Seoul. Furthermore, household mortgage debts have already reached a dangerous level. Therefore, the number of non-mortgaged, ‘safer’ houses for key money renting has decreased. As a result, people are pushed to move to the suburban areas, to the smaller houses. Especially young people who have recently entered the society cannot even afford to live like human beings.