"Did I Do Something Wrong?" Resident Association President Furious After Reporting Outsider Children Playing in Apartment Playground

"Our Apartment Is a Private Space... Constitutes Trespassing"

The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. Photo by Pixabay

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Controversy is expected as the apartment complex residents' representative chairman, who reported to the police that children from outside were playing in the apartment complex playground, said, "I have no intention of apologizing." The chairman insists that children who do not live in the apartment using the playground within the complex clearly constitute 'trespassing.'

The residents' representative chairman, Mr. A, said in an interview with MBC's 'News Desk' on the 9th, "(The playground) is a space exclusive to our apartment residents," and "(The fact that children from outside entered the playground) constitutes trespassing."

When asked by reporters if he had any intention of apologizing to the children and their parents, he replied, "Why should I apologize for something I did?" and retorted, "What did I do wrong? Are you asking me to admit to false facts?"

Earlier, on the 12th of last month, Mr. A reported five children to the police, claiming that "children from outside damaged playground equipment."

One of the parents of the reported children detailed the incident on the Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae) public petition board on the 4th. The petitioner said, "When I hurried over, the first thing I saw was five elementary school children, including my child, being held in the management office," and "The five children shed thick tears like chicken droppings every time they saw their parents who had arrived after being contacted."

According to the petitioner, Mr. A selected children from other regions among those playing in the apartment and detained them in the management office before reporting them to the police on charges of damaging playground equipment.

The president of the residents' association of an apartment complex reported children visiting from outside for 'property damage' to the police, sparking controversy. / Photo by MBC

Regarding this, the petitioner added, "Even after watching the closed-circuit television (CCTV), there was no evidence of the children damaging the equipment," and "It is the personal opinion of the residents' chairman that children from other regions cannot play in our apartment."

Also, the petitioner expressed outrage, saying that Mr. A hurled insults during the process of detaining the children, "I still cannot explain to our child what crime children who had fun playing in another apartment complex's playground committed. Who is really the owner of the playground? The children or the residents' chairman?"

On an internet community, a handwritten note by one of the children playing in the apartment complex playground at the time was also revealed. The note detailed the situation, saying, "We were playing a game called 'Sbuljae' when suddenly an old man asked where we lived," and "When I said I lived in XX, he said, 'Do you know that if you come to someone else's playground, you're a thief?'"

It also included, "We all shouted that we didn't want to leave, but the old man (while cursing) said we would grow up to be very big thieves," and "When my mother and older brother came, he told them to properly educate their children."

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