"I Needed a Clothesline"—Man in His 70s Cuts the 'Lifeline' of Worker on 30th-Floor Exterior, Sparking Uproar

[Financial News] A resident in his 70s living on the second floor of an apartment building in China cut a safety rope used by a high-rise exterior worker with scissors because he wanted to hang laundry. The bizarre incident has shocked the local community. It nearly resulted in a major fall accident.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 28th, the incident occurred on the 17th at a high-rise apartment complex in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China.
At the time, a worker identified by his surname, Ryu, was carrying out exterior wall repairs. After finishing work as high as the 30th floor, he descended to the second-floor work platform. When he reached the platform, however, Ryu discovered that one of his safety ropes had been cleanly severed with a sharp instrument. Fragments of the cut rope were scattered across the ground nearby.
The safety rope Ryu was using was about 120 meters long, but more than 10 meters had been cut off, leaving it too short for him to properly complete his descent to the ground on the first floor. Fortunately, no one was relying on the rope while working at height when it was cut, so there were no casualties.
An investigation found that the person who damaged the rope was a resident in his late 70s who lived on the second floor of the building. The resident claimed, "I only cut it because I needed a line to hang laundry," adding, "I had no idea that it was safety equipment used by a high-rise worker."
Taking into account the resident's advanced age, worker Ryu decided not to have police formally book him in the case. Instead, with mediation from the apartment management office, the two reached an agreement for 400 yuan (about 80,000 won) in compensation for the damaged rope.
The story caused an uproar in China's online community after it became known. Related hashtags on local social media platforms, including Weibo, surpassed 61 million views, prompting intense public outrage.

Netizens criticized the resident, saying, "If the worker had been hanging from it, he would have died instantly. This was essentially attempted murder," "Age should not serve as a shield for damaging safety equipment directly tied to someone's life," and "Regardless of whether the victim wants prosecution, the offender must face serious legal consequences to prevent this from happening again."
Legal experts pointed to the possibility of criminal punishment and additional civil damages. Attorney Wang Haogong of Shanxi Haogong Law Firm noted, "Although the amount of compensation is minor and may not meet the threshold for a simple theft charge, the act clearly violated another person's property rights," adding, "Civil damages could also be sought for losses caused by the work stoppage." However, under current Chinese law, people aged 75 or older may receive reduced punishment in criminal cases.
China has seen similar falls caused by damaged safety ropes in the past. In December 2017, a resident in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, deliberately cut an exterior worker's rope after a dispute over construction noise. The worker fell from the height of the fourth floor and suffered fractures throughout his body. The perpetrator was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for one year, on charges of intentional injury.


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