"Many Minor Malfunctions but Can't Pay 7.8 Million Won"…Resident Responsible for Elevator Breakdown 'Protests'

A story has emerged about a person who damaged an apartment elevator by kicking it and then refused to pay the repair costs, causing inconvenience to the residents.

Elevator repair notice posted in an apartment.
[Photo by Online Community]

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On the 12th, a post titled "Person Not Paying Elevator Repair Costs" was uploaded to an online community. The author, Mr. A, who lives in the apartment, began by saying, "On the evening of the 7th, resident Mr. B repeatedly kicked the elevator door while using the apartment elevator."

According to Mr. A, after Mr. B kicked the door several times, the elevator stopped on the 17th floor, and eventually, the police and firefighters were dispatched to rescue Mr. B. The apartment management office analyzed the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and confirmed that Mr. B kicked the elevator door with his foot, then charged approximately 7.8 million KRW for repairs. However, Mr. B refused to pay the repair costs, and other residents have been unable to use the elevator, causing significant difficulties.

Mr. A lamented, "Many residents live by going up to the rooftop via the elevator on the adjacent line and then walking down through the connected corridor," adding, "Residents living on the middle floors have to walk down more than 10 floors even if they use the elevator on the adjacent line, so it is very difficult."

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As residents' complaints grew louder, Mr. B posted an apology letter he wrote himself in the elevator and apartment hallways. Mr. B said, "I am sorry for the inconvenience," but also claimed, "If I talk about what happened that day, I am also in a wronged position." He explained, "My child was downstairs on the first floor, and in my urgency, I took the elevator barefoot to find my child. However, the door did not close for a long time, and I got angry and kicked the door in my haste. Then the elevator stopped on a middle floor, and out of fear, I kicked the door several more times."

Mr. B added, "The elevator frequently had minor malfunctions. I think I kicked it at the moment it was going to break down. I do not accept being unilaterally forced to pay all the repair costs just because I kicked the door a few times. There were other reasons for the malfunction, but the management office is putting all the blame on me. I feel very wronged."

The controversy spread widely on online communities and social networking services (SNS). The apartment management office told Chosun.com, "There were error messages on the elevator, but no serious problems," and claimed, "From the CCTV footage, Mr. B kicked the door very hard. He kicked it strongly while going down, causing the door to shake from the impact." They added, "Since Mr. B says he cannot pay the repair costs, we will proceed with the repairs using the management fees and then claim compensation from him. Even if repairs start immediately, it will take about five days, and the residents are suffering greatly. We plan to send a certified letter to Mr. B demanding compensation."

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, "This is outright nuisance," "Why kick the elevator door?" "If you know there are frequent malfunctions, shouldn't you avoid kicking it more?" and "It seems right to collect the repair costs." On the other hand, some netizens commented, "If there were frequent malfunctions, is there really a reason to collect repair costs?" "It seems okay not to pay the repair costs," and "Is it necessary for residents to have conflicts among themselves?"

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