"If You Scratch the Elevator, You’ll Be Fined 21 Million Won"... Apartment Notice Targets Delivery Workers [What Do You Think?]

[Financial News] An apartment Council of Occupant Representatives has sparked controversy after posting a notice saying delivery workers would be fined 21 million won if they damaged the elevator.

According to Yonhap News Agency on the 30th, a notice posted at an apartment complex recently stirred debate in an online community. The notice was titled "Precautions for Using the Elevator by Delivery Workers."
The notice said the elevator had recently been replaced and that the complex had used premium materials with a titanium base and gold-colored coating, making it the only apartment in Seoul to do so.
It also stressed that the interior materials and installation cost 21 million won. The notice warned delivery workers to be especially careful, saying that if they caused scratches or any damage by using carts or through any other action, the apartment would seek repair costs and damages and impose a 21 million won fine.
The notice also set limits on parcel weight. To stabilize the elevator, the apartment management said items weighing more than 30 kg must be split up or moved using a ladder truck until Dec. 31, and warned that violations would result in a 1 million won fine. It added that if workers inserted a marker pen, a piece of metal, or gloves into the elevator door gap, or stopped the elevator by blocking the door with a foot during deliveries, each violation would also incur a 1 million won fine.

This is not the first conflict between the Council of Occupant Representatives and delivery workers. In the past, some apartment complexes have also clashed with them by blocking delivery vehicles that could not easily enter through underground access and telling workers to deliver items using carts, or by demanding annual payments from delivery workers if they wanted to use the apartment's underground parking lot.
The Council of Occupant Representatives is a self-governing decision-making body that represents residents and decides major matters related to apartment management. Under the law, it has the authority to decide maintenance and operation standards for roads, parking lots, elevators and other shared facilities, as well as fee standards for using common areas.
However, the council has no legal authority to forcibly impose fines or penalties that it sets on its own, such as the "21 million won fine" mentioned in the notice. Fines are imposed by administrative authorities based on law, while criminal fines are imposed by courts after criminal trials, which means a private self-governing body like the council cannot levy them on its own.
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter