[Comprehensive] Interfloor Noise Controversy Spreads ... Moon Jung-won "Will Visit Again to Apologize" Ahn Sang-tae "Sorry, Planning to Move"

Entertainment Industry 'Noise Conflict Between Floors' Controversy... Ansangtae and Moon Jungwon Apologize

Family photo of the couple Lee Hwijae and Moon Jungwon. Photo by Moon Jungwon SNS capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Amid an increase in complaints about noise between floors due to people refraining from going out because of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), conflicts over noise between floors involving celebrities such as the couple Lee Hwi-jae and Moon Jung-won, and comedian Ahn Sang-tae have become a hot topic. Although the celebrities apologized for the noise damage, criticism continued, saying the apologies were close to excuses.

On the 13th, florist Moon Jung-won, wife of comedian Lee Hwi-jae, publicly apologized again for the noise damage between floors.

Moon Jung-won posted on SNS that "Regarding the noise between floors, it is indeed our carelessness without any excuse," and "I apologize for my immature response."

She wrote, "Before writing this post, I visited the resident again to offer my apologies," adding, "We discussed realistic solutions to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. Of course, it may be insufficient to ease the hardships so far, but we will use every possible method and pay closer attention."

Photo by Mun Jeong-won SNS capture.

Earlier, on the 11th, a netizen who introduced themselves as a downstairs neighbor posted a complaint about noise damage in a post on Moon Jung-won's SNS.

The netizen said, "I am the downstairs neighbor. If you are going to let the kids run inside the house for several hours, please at least lay down mats for them to run on. I think I have politely asked about this at least five times already, but how long do I have to endure the situation with no improvement?" They added, "I have been enduring it since the remodeling construction over a year ago, but I am in early pregnancy and can no longer bear it, so I am leaving this comment asking for correction."

In response, Moon Jung-won commented, "I am very sorry to say sorry every time," and apologized, saying, "It seems that mats laid in parts are not enough, so we have ordered custom-made mats tailored to the house. When we moved here, we did not know that soundproofing and vibration-proofing were this ineffective."

Photo by Mun Jeong-won SNS capture.

However, as videos previously posted by the Moon couple on YouTube and photos on Instagram showing their children playing baseball or running inside the house were re-examined, they faced even stronger criticism.

The noise issue involving comedian Ahn Sang-tae and his spouse also came to light.

On the 12th, a writer who claimed to be a downstairs neighbor of comedian A posted on an online community, "When I moved in at 28 weeks pregnant in March 2020, I was glad to hear that comedian and director A was living upstairs. However, I was very stressed during an already sensitive time due to the constant sounds of objects being thrown, hammering, and running, day and night."

The writer said they visited Ahn Sang-tae's house twice due to the noise problem but saw no improvement.

The writer expressed anger, saying, "I politely asked my husband to request them, and he went twice, but nothing improved. My husband's face turned red when he came back, saying, 'You know it's illegal to come like this, right?' 'You are very sensitive.' 'Then should we tie up the kids?' 'We put down two mats because of complaints, so please check with your own eyes.'"

A photo posted by the author living in the downstairs unit of Mr. An Sang-tae, who claims to be a victim of noise between floors, on an online community. Photo by Nate Pann capture.

Later, the writer found photos on the comedian's wife's Instagram showing a child rollerblading at home, jumping high on a trampoline, and wearing high heels on wooden floors, but could not find the mats that were said to be laid down in twos, saying, "I understood why there was such a fuss."

After the post was uploaded, through comments and other means, comedian A was identified as Ahn Sang-tae.

Comedian Ahn Sang-tae. Photo by Ahn Sang-tae SNS capture.

As the controversy escalated, Ahn Sang-tae admitted "it was his fault" but said there was a misunderstanding and announced plans to move.

In an interview with Hankyung.com, Ahn Sang-tae said, "Because of COVID-19, we couldn't go to academies or go out, so I think the neighbor was also stressed. The doorbell rang five times a day, and there was a misunderstanding about interior construction next door, so I also responded sensitively. Since I can't tell a growing child not to run, moving was the only option we had. I feel very sorry that the child did run," he said.

Meanwhile, as telecommuting and reduced outings due to COVID-19 have increased noise complaints between floors significantly, according to the Korea Environment Corporation on the 12th, the total number of complaints received by the 'Noise Between Floors Neighbor Center' last year was 42,250, more than double the average annual complaints of 20,508 until the year before last.