LH Rental Housing in Incheon Where 'Weapon Rampage' Occurred... Growing Distrust Amid Management and Staffing Shortages

Arson and Murder in Jinju, Stabbings in Incheon: Series of Violent Crimes
Tenants Causing Noise and Threats Cannot Be Evicted Forcefully
Incheon Stabbing Incident Occurred While Victim Waited to Move
Government Increases Public Rental Housing but Faces Severe Staff Shortages

Distrust in rental housing is growing again as the 'Incheon inter-floor noise stabbing incident,' which sparked controversy due to the police's inadequate response, occurred in a public rental housing operated by Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH).

Following the 2019 arson and murder case by An In-deuk at an LH rental housing in Jinju, Gyeongnam, and the case of Kang Yoon-sung, who is accused of killing two women for money while living in rental housing last August, the occurrence of the Incheon stabbing incident has further heightened the anxiety among rental housing residents.

Public rental housing cannot forcibly evict specific residents even if they cause problems such as inter-floor noise or disturbances, and in the case of villa-type housing, LH management personnel handling complaints are severely insufficient, leading to criticism that crimes could not be prevented from escalating.

Repeated Major Crimes in Rental Housing... Residents' Anxiety Intensifies

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and LH on the 27th, the stabbing incident that occurred on the afternoon of the 15th at a villa in Namdong-gu, Incheon, was triggered by inter-floor noise among LH purchased rental housing residents.

Purchased rental housing is a type where LH buys villas and rents them out at affordable prices to low-income people who meet income requirements. Both the perpetrator, resident A (48) on the 4th floor, and the victim family on the 3rd floor were selected by LH.

Perpetrator A reportedly moved into the 4th floor of the villa in September and had conflicts with the victim family living downstairs due to inter-floor noise. He habitually verbally abused and sexually harassed the victim family and on the afternoon of the 15th inflicted injuries with a weapon.

At the scene, police officers B, a sergeant, and C, a patrol officer from Incheon Nonhyeon Police Station, were present but failed to prevent the crime. Notably, when A came down to the 3rd floor wielding the weapon and attacked the victim family, Officer C was present but went down to the 1st floor claiming to seek help, causing controversy over 'escape.'

Ultimately, while the perpetrator and the police's inadequate response are at the core of the incident, distrust surrounding the rental housing where it occurred is also increasing.

Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, is greeting the public after apologizing for the police's inadequate response to the 'inter-floor noise stabbing' incident in front of Nonhyeon Police Station, Namdong-gu, Incheon, on the afternoon of the 25th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

In Rental Housing, It’s the Victim, Not the Troublemaker, Who Has to Move

Public rental housing has the peculiarity that LH selects tenants, but regulations allowing forced eviction of tenants are insufficient, so even if a specific resident causes disturbances or continuously harasses neighbors, there are no proper countermeasures.

In the Incheon stabbing incident, neighbors in the same villa filed multiple complaints about perpetrator A's behavior, but it was the victim family, not the perpetrator, who had to move. The family was injured while looking for a new home with LH's permission.

After the 2019 An In-deuk case, as residents' anxiety grew, there were demands to allow forced eviction of criminals and frequent complainants from rental housing, but this was ultimately rejected due to opposition from the National Human Rights Commission.

At the time, a citizen appealed through a Blue House petition, saying, "I have lived in three rental apartments, and whenever I checked 'Sex Offender Notification e,' there was always a sex offender living there," and added, "Even if someone like the Jinju case suspect lives next door and causes harm, LH cannot take any action."

An LH official said, "Considering residents' concerns, we amended related laws last October to allow refusal of contract renewal if a specific resident disrupts communal order," adding, "We initially intended to include forced eviction provisions but ultimately did not."

For example, if a two-year lease contract is signed, even if the resident causes serious conflicts with neighbors immediately after moving in, forced eviction is difficult, and the resident can only be removed by not renewing the contract after two years.

Therefore, many ordinary residents argue, "Most people who cannot afford to move have to endure living with criminals," and "Rental housing should restrict entry to unsuitable individuals for the public good."

A man in his 40s, identified as Mr. A, who is accused of injuring three members of a neighboring family with a weapon over noise disputes between floors, is being transferred to the prosecution after leaving Namdong Police Station in Namdong-gu, Incheon, on the morning of the 24th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Perpetrators Are Also Vulnerable Residents... Forced Eviction Is Not the Answer

However, many also believe that forcibly evicting rental housing residents who have conflicts with neighbors is not the right solution. According to field officials, vulnerable residents such as basic livelihood security recipients or ex-convicts often stay in these homes for long periods and cause conflicts with neighbors, and evicting them could be seen as neglecting socially vulnerable groups.

There are also concerns that criteria for selecting forced eviction candidates could be ambiguous unless it involves violent crimes. A Ministry of Land official said, "It is difficult to refuse contract renewal due to inter-floor noise or simple disputes with neighbors," adding, "Such regulations could rather undermine residents' housing stability."

Insufficient Management Personnel... Worsened by LH Staff Reduction

Therefore, the industry suggests increasing LH management personnel. Public rental 'apartment-type' housing has management offices that can mediate some conflicts among residents, but villa-type purchased rental housing like the one in the Incheon stabbing incident suffers from a severe shortage of management staff.

An LH official said, "We operate a dispute mediation committee to resolve conflicts among residents, and staff receive complaints, but there is a shortage of personnel."

In fact, recent LH organizational restructuring and large-scale staff reductions have reportedly worsened this problem. An industry insider said, "The government policy continues to increase public rental housing, but management of tenant safety and living environment still seems inadequate."