[Iclickart]
There is an old Korean proverb: "A close neighbor is better than a distant relative." The old saying is not true anymore due to frequent disputes over noise and sometimes violent clashes between the neighbors living up and down at apartments.
Police said Wednesday that two neighbors at an apartment in Busan, some 310 kilometers (192 miles) southwest of Seoul, were questioned for a fist fight in the passageway of their apartment on March 1 that caused minor injuries.
The fight began after a 64-year-old man living on the second floor slammed the ceiling of his home with a golf club in retaliation for the noise caused by a 59-year-old living on the upper floor. Previously, they have engaged in frequent brawling.
Sometimes, such disputes cause a fatal outcome. In 2015, a man blew up his apartment by setting fuel gas tanks on fire, and a man stabbed a woman to death in July last year.
Because about one-fifth of South Koreans live in tightly stacked apartments, complaints about noise have been common. Last year, nearly 6,000 cases were filed with the Seoul city government but city officials concede there's no absolute solution other than rebuilding apartments.
Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
