Abstract

This study aims to explore housing choices of young adults in the commercialization and financialization of housing. Such growing housing phenomena lead to not only young adults in housing anxiety but also delayed independence towards full adulthood in social and economic aspects. In the contexts, this study collected interview data from 30-somethings, which were a series of housing experiences according to life-course. The participants in this study had tried to attain social and economic autonomy regardless of departure from their parental home or not; simultaneously, the uncertainty of the labour and housing markets resulted in a longer and heavier reliance on parental financial support. Indeed, the material support from parents had played an important role in life transitions toward adulthood. Parental perceptions and financial abilities often were reasons young adults experienced inadequate housing. Meanwhile, the Korean government has attempted to generalize access to the financial market in order to keep the conventional housing ladder. Nevertheless, the participants had relied deeper on debt and parental finance; otherwise, poor housing was experienced by those who could not meet credit criteria.