[Exclusive] Yeongjongdo Apartment Residents Who Reported Playground, Move to Dismiss Chairman

Resident Representative Chairman Who Reported External Elementary Students Playing in Playground
Residents Hold Emergency Meeting Over Chairman's Dismissal
Dismissal Possible Through Procedures If Grounds Under Management Rules Are Met
Police Also Investigating on Charges of 'Threats and Detention'

The photo is not directly related to the article. [Image source=Getty Images Bank]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Residents of an apartment complex have decided to push for the dismissal of the apartment residents' representative chairman who reported external children playing in the playground to the police.

According to residents of Apartment A on Yeongjongdo, Incheon, the residents held an emergency countermeasure meeting related to this incident in the apartment residents' meeting room on the afternoon of the previous day. It was judged that Mr. B, the representative chairman involved in the controversy, tarnished the reputation of the apartment residents and caused controversy through unilateral actions.

During the meeting, internal procedures for the chairman's dismissal and measures such as producing banners demanding the chairman's dismissal were discussed. According to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Management of Multi-family Housing, residents can request the dismissal of the residents' representative chairman if they judge there are problems in the performance of duties, and dismissal is possible through prescribed procedures if the reasons stipulated in the apartment management regulations apply.

Mr. B is reportedly not responding to the residents' demands to step down as the residents' representative chairman. In a previous media interview, when asked if he had any intention to apologize to the children and parents, he said, "No. Why should I apologize? Are you asking me to admit to false facts?"

Earlier, on the afternoon of the 12th of last month, Mr. B witnessed five elementary school students from another apartment playing in the playground within the complex and reported to 112 (police emergency number), claiming "external children damaged playground equipment." The parents of the reported children claimed that Mr. B kept the children in the management office and scolded them until the police and parents arrived. This fact became known through a petition posted by the parents on the Blue House National Petition site, sparking controversy. A post written by a child who was playing in the playground at the time included content such as, "I was playing a game called 'Jwital' when suddenly an old man asked where I lived, and when I said 'I live in OO,' he said, 'Do you know that if you live in OO and come to someone else's playground, you are a thief?'"

Subsequently, the apartment held an interim meeting of the residents' representatives, where a proposal to report to the police if external children use the playground within the complex was passed but later deleted due to opposition from residents.

The parents of the children have currently filed a police complaint against Mr. B for charges of intimidation and confinement. The police plan to summon the parties involved to ascertain the exact facts as soon as the investigation schedule is arranged. However, acts such as equipment damage claimed by Mr. B were not confirmed on the closed-circuit television (CCTV).