"Why Are You Drowsy at Work?" 50s Resident Booked for Assaulting 70s Security Guard

Apartment Security Guard's Eye Socket and Nose Bones Fractured in Resident Assault
Suspect: "Would someone make a living by using the money we paid like that?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] A resident in his 50s was booked by the police for punching a security guard in his 70s at an apartment complex, allegedly because the guard was dozing off during work.

The Iksan Police Station in Jeollabuk-do announced on the 19th that they have detained and are investigating A (58) on charges of assault.

A is accused of hitting security guard B (75) on the face and other areas around 7:20 p.m. on the 18th at an apartment in Dongsan-dong, Iksan City, because B was allegedly dozing off. B claimed, "It was break time, but I was not dozing off," and added, "The resident had been picking fights with me for some time."

A stated, "I resorted to violence during the process of protesting because the security guard was dozing off." However, B said, "A few days ago, loud music was coming from A's house, and residents complained, so I went to stop it," and added, "Harboring resentment, A came and threw punches."

B, who is receiving hospital treatment for broken bones around the eye and a broken tooth, said, "'How could someone live off the money we pay by acting like that?' Suddenly, he pushed me down the stairs. I lost consciousness while being hit and woke up in the hospital."

A has a prior record of being booked in 2014 for assaulting another security guard.

The police stated, "Considering the victim is an elderly apartment security guard, we plan to apply for an arrest warrant for A soon," and added, "We are investigating the exact circumstances."

Photo by Yonhap News TV capture

Meanwhile, so-called 'gapjil' (abuse of power) by apartment residents toward security guards continues.

In April last year, a 50-year-old resident, Sim (50), was arrested and prosecuted for assaulting the late security guard Choi Hee-seok in an apartment in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, allegedly because Choi moved Sim’s parked car by hand.

Choi left a voice message expressing a desire for strong punishment after suffering verbal abuse and assault from Sim, and took his own life in May last year. It was revealed that Sim had locked Choi in a bathroom and beaten and threatened him for about 12 minutes, pressuring him to resign.

As such resident 'gapjil' continues unabated, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 9th a legislative notice for amendments to the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the Apartment Housing Management Act, prohibiting residents from ordering security guards to perform general office assistance tasks for the management office or tasks related to individual households or personal belongings.

The amendments, effective from October 21, limit security guards’ non-security duties to cleaning and environmental management, sorting and monitoring recyclable resources, parking management for safety and theft prevention, and parcel storage. Violations may result in fines up to 10 million won.

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