The Seoul city government will provide shared houses at discounted rates for singles to cater to the city's growing number of one-person households, city officials said Monday. The project was announced to meet the need for a new type of residence for singles as the number of one-person households reached 1.5 million in Seoul last year, accounting for 37 percent of the total number of households. The city plans to locate the sites for the housing plan and finalize necessary administrative procedures to officially initiate the project in the second half of this year, the officials said. Under the project, private rooms will be rented to single-person households at 50 to 70 percent of the market price for similarly-sized studio apartments, while shared kitchens, laundry rooms and other entertainment spaces will also be available for charge-based plans. Proceeds from the operations of parking lots, game rooms and other entertainment spaces at the apartment buildings under the project will be used to offset part of the maintenance costs, officials said. The city plans to install shared houses for one-person households at locations well-equipped with infrastructure so that residents can smoothly go to work, school or hospital. Individuals aged 19-39 will be eligible for up to six years of residence, while those aged older will be eligible for 10 years. Source: Yonhap News Agency