2,546 homes renovated over 33 years since 1994; chairman vows to continue program

Park Jae-bok (right), chairman of the Korea Housing Builders Association's Busan chapter, poses for a commemorative photo Monday after completing the 2026 residential improvement project for national merit holders. [Korea Housing Builders Association Busan Metropolitan Chapter]
Park Jae-bok (right), chairman of the Korea Housing Builders Association's Busan chapter, poses for a commemorative photo Monday after completing the 2026 residential improvement project for national merit holders. [Korea Housing Builders Association Busan Metropolitan Chapter]

The Korea Housing Builders Association's Busan Metropolitan Chapter announced Monday that it had successfully completed its 2026 residential improvement project for national merit holders.

The program is a private-sector veterans welfare initiative that pairs housing construction companies with national merit holders whose aging homes need renovation, based on referrals from the Korea Veterans Service Agency. Participating firms cover the full cost of repairs, enabling recipients to live in more comfortable and stable conditions.

Launched in 1994, the project has renovated 2,546 homes over 33 years, including 91 units completed this year. In Busan, the 108th home under the local program was finished this year, and a commemorative ceremony was held to mark the occasion.

Five Busan-based construction firms took part this year: Jiwon Construction (Chairman Park Jae-bok), Youngbin Construction (CEO Kim Jae-jin), Seokhong General Construction (CEO Hong Seon-pyo), Sungwoo Core (CEO Lee Gyeong-min) and Sugeun General Construction (CEO Seong Seok-dong). The five beneficiaries — including a combat-wounded veteran surnamed Moon residing in Busanjin-gu — were selected through joint on-site assessments conducted by the Busan chapter and the Busan Regional Veterans Affairs Office.

"Housing construction companies stepped up voluntarily to renovate, free of charge, the homes of national merit holders who had long endured hardship because they could not afford repairs," Chairman Park said. "We will continue this project so that those who dedicated themselves to the country can live in better residential conditions."


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