"Playing in Others' Playground is Theft"... What Do You Think About 'Resident Selfishness'?

Apartment Residents' Representative Abuses Other Complex's Children as "Thieves"
Netizens React "Harsh Treatment" vs "Safety Issues Within Complex"
Conflicts Emerge Between Residents and Outsiders Over Passage Rights
Expert: "'Only My Child Matters' Selfish Attitude... Civic Awareness Must Improve"

Recently, a representative of an apartment complex residents reported children from another complex using the playground within the apartment to the police, sparking ongoing controversy. Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] "How would you feel if your child was detained and even reported to the police just because they were playing at a playground in another apartment complex and were not a resident?"

As cases of prohibiting non-residents from passing through privately owned apartment complexes increase, there has even been an incident where a child was harshly called a "thief" simply because they were not a resident child. A representative of the apartment residents reported children from another complex playing in the playground to the police. While some argue that controlling non-residents is an exercise of the property rights of apartment residents, others criticize the police report as an excessive measure and collective selfishness that tramples on children's innocence.

On the 4th, a petition titled "Children were caught by the apartment chairman while playing in the apartment playground" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. It was a story about children playing in a playground within an apartment complex in Incheon being reported to the police.

According to the petition, the representative chairman of the apartment residents verbally abused the children playing in the playground last month because they lived in another complex and reported them for damaging playground equipment.

The petitioner explained, "I was worried because my child did not come home, and then the police contacted me," adding, "When I hurried over, I saw five elementary school students, including my child, being held in the apartment management office."

A child playing in the playground wrote a description of the situation at that time / Photo by Online Community Capture

In a post written directly by a child who was playing in the playground at the time, it was stated, "While playing a game called 'Jwital,' suddenly an old man asked where I lived, and when I said 'I live in XX,' he said, 'Don't you know that if you come to someone else's playground in XX, you're a thief?'"

As the story became known, negative reactions followed, such as "A world where you become a thief even when you go to play," and "I hope you never exist even for a moment in a place that is not your own."

Some netizens pointed out the recently closed and hierarchical culture of apartment complexes, saying, "When I was young, we played together here and there without distinguishing complexes. Now, even when children are put on shuttle buses after school, they are lined up by complex."

Meanwhile, there were opinions that the issue of outside children entering playgrounds is not simple in terms of playground management. One netizen said, "At first, neighborhood apartment playgrounds were all open, but there was a case where an accident happened in the playground and we had to pay about 15 million won through a lawsuit," expressing sympathy for controlling access due to safety accidents in playgrounds.

This is not the first time a controversy over 'resident selfishness' surrounding facilities within apartment complexes has arisen. Last year, a conflict over internal passage also occurred in an apartment complex in Dalseo-gu, Daegu.

The residents of the apartment demanded a ban on students and school vehicles entering the complex during school commute times, citing the high risk of traffic accidents within the complex due to the students' passage.

As a result of these demands, a banner stating "External students are prohibited from passing through the apartment complex during school commute times (including school vehicles)" was hung at the main gate of the apartment complex. There were even adults waiting at the entrance to the internal road holding signs that said "No entry for external students."

Nearby residents opposed this, appealing for freedom of passage and calling the passage ban "collective selfishness." However, Dalseo District Office stated that since the apartment is private property, it is difficult to intervene in matters related to access and passage management.

Experts suggested that consideration and agreement among stakeholders are required so that children can play freely and safely.

Professor Koo Jae-woo of the Department of Sociology at Sungkyunkwan University said, "In urban areas of our country, places where children can run and play tend to be limited to apartment complexes," adding, "In this situation, the selfish mindset of 'I should provide good playground facilities only for my child' only creates discord."

He continued, "Civic-mindedness should be raised so that children and parents do not feel relative deprivation," and explained, "Since this is an area that cannot be legally enforced, discussions and consideration among the users of the space are necessary."

He emphasized, "Policies to build public facilities other than apartment complexes in urban areas are insufficient," and added, "We should not only emphasize apartment supply but also provide facilities where children can run and play."

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