[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] As the time spent at home has increased due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), complaints about noise between floors have also risen, leading to increased conflicts among neighbors. Even in the entertainment industry, conflicts over noise between floors have arisen, with celebrities such as the couple Lee Hwijae and Moon Jung-won, and comedian Ahn Sang-tae, facing complaints from downstairs neighbors about disturbances.
On the 11th, in a post uploaded by Moon Jung-won, wife of Lee Hwijae, on social media (SNS), a netizen introduced themselves as a downstairs neighbor and expressed grievances about noise disturbances.
The netizen said, "I am the downstairs neighbor. If you are going to let the kids run around inside the house for several hours, please at least lay down mats for them to run on," adding, "I think I have politely asked about this at least five times already, but how long do we have to endure a situation with no improvements?" The netizen continued, "I have been tolerating this since the remodeling construction started over a year ago, but I am in early pregnancy, so I can no longer endure it and am leaving this comment to ask for some correction."
In response, Moon Jung-won apologized on the 12th in the comments, saying, "I am very sorry to the point that I feel apologetic every time I say sorry." She explained, "It seems that mats laid in parts are not effective, so I have ordered custom-made mats tailored for the house. I didn’t realize the soundproofing and vibration-proofing would be this poor when we moved in here."
Moon also said, "There are many times when I have to scold the kids to be quiet even when they are just laughing. I try to be careful, but since they are boys, sometimes they are uncontrollable," adding, "Since this is a problem that cannot be resolved due to the building structure, we are very upset and sorry as well. We will be more careful, scold the kids more, and teach them better. We apologize for causing concern."
However, controversy continues as videos and Instagram photos previously posted by the couple showing their children playing baseball or running inside the house have been re-examined. Netizens also criticized Moon’s apology, saying it was "very much from the perpetrator’s perspective" and questioning "why suddenly bring up the building structure and children’s laughter." In response, Moon issued another apology on the 13th via SNS, stating, "I apologize once again to many who felt discomfort. I apologize for my immature response and will be more careful to avoid causing inconvenience over the same issue."
Following this couple, comedian Ahn Sang-tae was also embroiled in a controversy over noise complaints. On the 12th, an online community post titled "Comedian A, please be careful about noise between floors" was uploaded. The author said, "When I moved in at 28 weeks pregnant in March 2020, I was glad to hear that comedian and director A lived upstairs. But I was very stressed during an already sensitive time because of the constant sounds of objects being thrown, heavy footsteps, and running, day and night."
The author continued, "I politely asked my husband to visit and request twice, but nothing improved," adding, "My husband came back with a red face and said, 'You know it’s illegal to come knocking like this, right?' 'You’re very sensitive,' 'Then should we tie up the child?' 'We have mats laid down because of complaints, so please check with your own eyes,' he said," expressing frustration.
The author also said, "(After seeing A’s wife’s Instagram) I understood why there was such a fuss. Can that be called a mat in the child’s room? Rollerblades are for outside, so why are they inside the house? Aren’t they supposed to be in the shoe rack?" adding, "There were no mats in the playroom or living room. Sounds of objects dropping and being thrown are transmitted directly."
Although the post named the person as A, netizens identified A as comedian Ahn Sang-tae through comments and other posts. Later, in an interview with Hankyung.com, Ahn said, "Because of COVID-19, the kids couldn’t go to academies or go out, so I think they were also stressed. The doorbell rang five times a day, and there was a misunderstanding about interior construction next door, so I also responded sensitively," adding, "I couldn’t keep telling a growing child not to run, so ultimately the only option was to move. I am very sorry that the child did run. I am looking into moving to a first-floor or pilotis-structured house without downstairs neighbors."
Meanwhile, as telecommuting has increased and children are not attending school due to COVID-19, noise complaints between floors have surged. According to the Korea Environment Corporation on the 12th, the number of complaints received by the 'Noise Between Floors Neighbor Center' last year reached 42,250. This is more than double the average annual complaints (20,508) received until the year before last.
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