Jeju shared house “Miroheon” hosts five unrelated seniors as experimental family

Five adults in their 50s and 60s live together in the shared house “Miroheon” (미로헌) in Do‑nam‑dong, Jeju. The residents have no blood, marital or academic ties and refer to themselves as a “non‑kin chance family” (무연고 우연 가족). The experiment was launched by Jo Seon‑hee, a former executive of the Jeju Culture and Arts Foundation who authored the essay “Age 60, living with strangers.” After her husband’s death in 2008 and her own breast‑cancer treatment, she began co‑habiting with four other seniors in 2022.

Miroheon combines a common kitchen and living area with private rooms; meals and chores are handled individually, and there is no fixed duty roster. Residents meet each third Saturday to discuss waste disposal, garden upkeep, joint purchases and sanitation. Jo describes the arrangement as “the freedom of living alone remains, while the safety of co‑living is added” (독거의 자유는 그대로, 동거의 안전은 더한 삶). The community provides mutual support, accompanying each other to medical appointments and offering care when someone falls ill.

The project is presented as a small‑scale social experiment responding to South Korea’s growing single‑person households and an aging population, showcasing how relationships beyond blood ties can form a supportive family structure.