“We can’t even leave the door open” ... Residents’ pleas posted densely beside a no-smoking notice

[Financial News]  As disputes over smoking inside apartment buildings continue unabated, a photo of notes from residents complaining about the harm, posted beside a no-smoking notice in one apartment building, is drawing attention online.
On the 22nd, a photo was posted on the Instagram account of the online community Bobaedream along with the caption, “A smoking notice posted in an apartment building and the harm to neighbors.”
The photo shows a notice banning smoking posted in the apartment building, along with five notes beside it that are believed to have been written by residents themselves.
The notice said, “Smoking on balconies or in bathrooms inside individual units is strictly prohibited. Smoking in the bathroom causes serious harm to others and is an obvious nuisance that creates foul odors and fire hazards. Bathrooms are not smoking areas. Please smoke outside the building,” and added, “We ask for your full cooperation to ensure a pleasant and safe communal living environment.”
The notes posted beside it included residents’ pleas such as, “Please stop smoking in the master bedroom’s bathroom,” “We can’t even leave the door open. Please,” and “The smell of cigarettes is so hard to bear. Please don’t think, ‘They won’t know anyway’; show a little consideration.”
People who saw the photo responded with comments such as, “There must be designated smoking areas in the apartment complex. I wish people would go outside to smoke,” “Why smoke in the bathroom?” and “We also have to keep our windows completely closed because our downstairs neighbors smoke so much.”
Under Article 20-2 of the Multi-Family Housing Management Act, residents must not cause harm to other residents by smoking inside their units, including on balconies and in bathrooms. Residents affected by secondhand smoke can notify the management entity and request that it recommend the smoker stop. The management entity may conduct necessary investigations, including checks inside the unit, to establish the facts. However, specific standards are lacking for how complaints should be investigated in practice and what follow-up measures should be taken if the harm recurs.

Gyeonggi Province is pursuing revisions to the “Standard Rules for Multi-Family Housing Management,” including the introduction of a standard investigation form to help management entities systematically verify harm from secondhand smoke. 

[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter