Are there slums in South Korea? The contrast behind the modern image

Many people picture South Korea almost entirely through dramas, luxury neighborhoods, technology, and polished city life. Because of that, it can be surprising to hear that poverty and precarious housing still exist there too.

After the Korean War, South Korea went through a long period of severe hardship. The country later became one of the most developed nations in Asia, but that progress did not erase every social gap. That is why places like Guryong Village and Gamcheon still matter when we try to understand the country beyond its most glamorous image.

If you like this kind of social contrast in East Asia, you can also read our article about the most dangerous neighborhoods in Japan. Here, though, the focus is South Korea and two very different examples of urban poverty.

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Guryong Village: poverty next to Gangnam

Guryong Village is located in Seoul, close to Gangnam, one of the richest and most famous districts in the city. That contrast is exactly what makes the area so striking. On one side, there are expensive buildings and modern developments. On the other, there are residents living in fragile structures made from plywood, metal, and other improvised materials.

Many of the people who ended up there were displaced by redevelopment projects and urban expansion. Even today, thousands of residents still face difficult conditions, including unstable electricity, poor infrastructure, and the constant threat of fire or removal.

The situation is especially hard for older residents. Many elderly people there live with little or no meaningful state support. Some survive by collecting paper and cardboard for recycling. That reality shocks many outsiders, especially because South Korea is often seen only through its economic success.

This also connects to larger structural issues in the country, including aging, housing costs, and social pressure. If you want to explore another side of that pressure, our article on mandatory military service in South Korea helps show how deeply life paths can be shaped there.

Gamcheon: from poor hillside settlement to cultural landmark

Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan tells a different story. Like many poor communities, it grew out of a difficult historical period, when people needed somewhere to live after the war and settled on the hillsides.

Over time, the area was revitalized. Artists helped transform the streets with murals, sculptures, and colorful facades, and eventually the village became a well-known tourist attraction. Today, many visitors know it more for its visual charm than for the poverty that shaped its origins.

Still, it would be a mistake to romanticize that history. Behind the colorful houses is a past built on displacement, scarcity, and adaptation. That is part of what makes Gamcheon so interesting: it is beautiful, but it also reflects a harsher chapter of South Korea’s development.

Why does poverty still exist in such a developed country?

This is the question many readers ask first. South Korea is wealthy and highly developed, but development does not mean everyone benefits equally. High living costs, late entry into stable adult life, social pressure, and limited support for some elderly people all play a role.

Older South Koreans are especially vulnerable in many cases. Some spent their youth during much poorer decades, had few chances to save, and now receive limited help. That is why poverty in South Korea can be more visible than many outsiders expect.

So, are there slums in South Korea?

Yes. Even if the term does not always fit perfectly, South Korea does have places marked by precarious housing, social exclusion, and long-term poverty. Guryong Village is the clearest example. Gamcheon, on the other hand, shows how a poor district can later become culturally significant without losing the memory of how it started.

In the end, South Korea is both modern and unequal. If we only look at the polished surface, we miss a large part of the country’s social reality. What is more surprising to you here: that these places exist at all, or how close they are to South Korea’s image of success?