Intense Notes Posted in Elevators... Vastly Different Apartment Household Conflicts

Conflict Between Smoking and Noise Complaints in Apartment Units
Escalation to Public Accusations and Threatening Posts
Concerns Raised Reminiscent of the 'An In-deuk Incident'
Criminal Charges Possible for Targeted Neighbor Posts

A note posted in an elevator of an apartment in Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi Province. It demands an apology from the person who left a note containing profanity at the entrance of their home.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] "There is no ‘GaesaeX’ in my house, okay? Come and apologize immediately."

Recently, mysterious notes have been repeatedly posted in the elevator of an apartment in Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi Province. The notes demand an apology, claiming that someone put threatening messages filled with profanity on their front door. Initially, residents thought it was a typical conflict between households caused by pet noise. However, as time passed, the atmosphere changed.

The next day, a similar note was posted again. This time, a resident from another floor claimed to have suffered the same damage and demanded an apology. When news spread that multiple unspecified households had experienced similar incidents, the apartment became unsettled. It reminded people of the apartment arson and stabbing incident that occurred in Jinju, Gyeongnam.

In April 2019, in an apartment in Jinju, a man set fire to his own home, then came out with two knives and attacked residents evacuating via the emergency stairs and management office staff, killing five residents and injuring 17 in what is known as the ‘An In-deuk incident.’ Resident A (34) said, "If it were just noise between floors, it could be resolved individually, but since similar notes were posted on multiple floors, I think it might be the act of a mentally ill person," expressing anxiety.

A note posted in an elevator of an apartment in Seo-gu, Incheon. Other residents also left consecutive notes agreeing with the message about suffering due to indoor smoking.

Conflicts caused by smoking or noise between floors are typical disputes between apartment households. In the past, there were many attempts to resolve conflicts individually through intercoms or the management office, but recently, public criticism has increased.

In an apartment in Seo-gu, Incheon, notes condemning indoor smoking are frequently posted in the elevators of each building, and responses from residents who agree follow one after another. It is known that the indoor smoking issue is so serious that the apartment is even considering designating itself as a non-smoking apartment.

However, posting writings that ‘target’ neighbors on apartment bulletin boards or elevators can lead to criminal punishment. In March, a man in his 60s was fined 500,000 won after being prosecuted for posting insulting messages about an upstairs neighbor with whom he had conflicts over noise issues on the apartment bulletin board and elsewhere.

He was found to have posted messages such as, "The house number OOO is where a mentally ill person who hammers and makes noise lives; I called the police to try to talk, but they didn’t open the door and just shouted." The court explained the sentencing by stating, "The charges of publicly insulting the victim with terms like ‘mentally ill behavior’ and ‘irrational household’ are recognized."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.