"Knock, knock, knock"... A man in his 50s who tapped the ceiling with a back scratcher over noise from upstairs fined 2 million won for stalking

[Financial News] A man in his 50s who spent two months tapping the ceiling with a back scratcher to protest noise from upstairs has been fined for stalking.
On the 31st, Presiding Judge Go Beom-jin of the Chuncheon District Court's Criminal Division 2 said that A, a man in his 50s, who was indicted for violating the Act on the Punishment, etc. of Stalking Crime, was ordered to pay a fine of 2 million won and complete 40 hours of a stalking treatment program.
A was sent to trial on charges of repeatedly tapping the ceiling with a back scratcher or ringing the intercom nine times over about two months from March last year, claiming that noise was coming from the apartment above.
Since January last year, A had asked the upstairs household to be mindful of noise between floors, and the victim said they would be more careful. Even so, investigators found that A repeatedly called the victim through the intercom.
A later received a request from the victim to contact them through the management office if noise between floors occurred, saying, "Please contact me through the management office if there is noise between floors." However, A continued tapping the ceiling with a back scratcher.
During the trial, A reportedly argued that the actions were legitimate and within the bounds of social norms, taken to find a solution to the noise dispute.
The court, however, determined that the conduct amounted to stalking and was enough to cause anxiety or fear in the victim.
Presiding Judge Go explained the sentencing by saying, "The defendant's actions appear to have caused considerable anxiety to the victim's family," and "Since the defendant has since moved out, the risk of a noise dispute with the victim appears to have been resolved."
[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter