A serious housing shortage was produced by the government's early stress on industrial rather than residential construction. The housing deficit was aggravated by the Korean War, which demolished about one-third of the country's housing. Since then, residential housing has received serious attention. About 886,000 new units were completed under the 1971–76 economic plan. Construction levels of 200,000–300,000 units a year were targeted for 1978–84, and 150,000–200,000 units a year were projected for 1987–93. Available figures for 1980–88 show a total housing stock of 4,566,000 with 4.5 people per dwelling.
The government reported that the catastrophic floods in August 1995 caused 500,000 residents to become homeless.
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