The recent establishment of foreigner - only serviced apartments in the public housing district in Seocho , southern Seoul , has caused controversy , as it comes at the expense of low - income Korean residents . Foreigner - only serviced residences with golf practice facilities will be built inside a public housing rental district in southern Seoul for low - income households . The serviced apartments capable of accommodating 178 foreign households will open by 2013 with a variety of convenient facilities such as golf practice facilities and squash courts on the public housing district for apartments for about 3 , 000 low - income households , according to Seoul Housing Corp . The residential area in Seocho - gu , Seoul , is just 200 meters away from the villages hit hard by the Mount Umyeon landslides caused by a heaving rain in late July . City councilors have raised concerns about the plan to build two different kinds of housing within one residential district and about the sense of deprivation to be felt by low - income Korean residents in the district . “ Facilities such as a golf range may foster disharmony among residents , ” said a Seoul Council member Joo Young - gil of the ruling Grand National Party at the briefing by SH Corp . officials on Monday . Another Seoul Councilor , Kim Hyoeng - sik of the opposite Democratic Party was even blunter . “ I see no reason why foreign residence should be built inside the public housing district , ” he said . “ We need to see whether residents in public apartments can use the facilities . ” The serviced apartments for foreigners , located in the area with a commanding view of scenery near Mount Umyeon , will feature facilities such as a swimming pool , gym , golf range , squash courts and shuttle buses from nearby office areas to the residence , according to SH Corp . The foreign residence in Umyeon is the second foreigners - only serviced apartments since the first , DMC Ville , opened in 2008 in Sangam - dong , northern Seoul . High - income foreigners with professional jobs live in DMC Ville , mostly short - term or mid - term . “ The DMC Ville has gained popularity among foreigners , with occupation rate reaching about 95 percent . Because Seoul does not have enough small to mid - sized accommodation for foreigners , construction of serviced residences for them is a necessary project , ” said an SH Corp . official . Critics say , though , that while DMC Ville stands in the sole residential district , the Umyeon foreign residence takes up a certain part of the public housing bloc for ordinary Koreans . By Lee Woo - young ( wylee @ heraldm . com )