"Parasite" in Real Life: Man in His 70s Lived Hidden in Apartment Basement for 3 Years After Home Was Seized

Secretly Living in the Basement After Home Auctioned Off
Discovered by Real Estate Agent... Arrested for Residential Trespassing

A scene from the movie Parasite. Photo by The Asia Business Daily DB

An incident reminiscent of the movie Parasite has occurred in real life. A man in Taiwan was discovered to have been secretly living in the basement of an apartment building for three years. It was found that after his home was auctioned off by the court, he set up an unauthorized living space in the basement of the same apartment complex.

According to local media outlets such as Taiwan's TVBS on December 13 (local time), Kaohsiung police arrested a 71-year-old man, referred to as Mr. A, on charges of trespassing after he had been living without permission in the basement area of a mechanical parking garage in an apartment building.

According to the police, Mr. A created a living space in the apartment's basement three years ago after his home was put up for court auction. Mr. A, who was also the former building manager of the apartment, was familiar with the access points and blind spots, which reportedly made it relatively easy for him to reside there.

Mr. A furnished the space with his own bed, desk, and chair, and connected household items to power outlets, using the area in a way similar to an actual residence. Because it was a place rarely visited by residents, he remained undetected for a long time. Recently, however, a real estate agent who visited the property to inspect it after the owner put it up for sale discovered his presence.

When the agent asked, "Why are you here?" Mr. A reportedly argued, "The parking area is a shared facility used by everyone." After the real estate agent reported the incident, the police arrived at the scene and arrested Mr. A on the spot for residential trespassing.