"Could You Refrain from Cooking Cheonggukjang at 8 p.m.?"... Have We Really Reached the Point of Filing Complaints About Stew Smells? [What Do You Think?]

[Financial News] An online debate is continuing after a notice was posted in a multi-unit residential building asking residents to refrain from cooking strong-smelling foods such as cheonggukjang and samgyeopsal late in the evening.
Recently, a post appeared on a social networking service (SNS) asking, "Have we reached the point where people file complaints if someone cooks cheonggukjang in the evening in an apartment building?" A photo of a notice posted in an apartment elevator was shared alongside it.
The author of the notice complained, "Recently, strong cooking odors have been wafting in during the evening, causing significant discomfort in daily life. In particular, around 8 p.m., strong smells from cheonggukjang, grilled meat and other foods enter the home through balconies and windows, making it difficult even to ventilate the apartment."
The notice continued, "It is perfectly fine to eat roasted sweet potatoes, but what are we supposed to do about smells that continue wafting in until 10 p.m.? Of course, everyone has the right to enjoy delicious food, but since this is a multi-unit residential building, please pay a little more attention to ventilation and odor control when cooking."
The person who uploaded the photo wrote, "I understand that the people who smell the odors are suffering, but don't we all have to cook and eat to live?"
After the story became known, online users were sharply divided.
Those who criticized the notice as excessive responded, "8 p.m. is a normal dinner hour. Are we not even allowed to cook stew as we please?" "If we cannot even make cheonggukjang in our own kitchens, how is this any different from living in a dormitory?" and "If you cannot tolerate even odors like this, you should live in a detached house."
Many others, however, sympathized with the notice writer's difficulties. They countered, "You cannot know what it feels like to have strong odors seep into your home and have to rush to close the windows unless you have experienced it yourself," "Grilling with the windows open or letting odors spread until late at night shows a lack of consideration for one's neighbors," and "When it continues for a long time, with food smells permeating laundry and so on, it becomes a major source of stress."
As conflicts over so-called "inter-floor odors" transmitted through ventilation ducts—including cigarette smoke and food smells—continue alongside disputes over noise between floors, some observers say that basic consideration among neighbors is needed, along with simple etiquette such as using the range hood while cooking and keeping windows closed to prevent odors from spreading.
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