Woman faces charges for removing poster from apartment elevator
Published: 20 Aug. 2025, 11:48
Updated: 20 Aug. 2025, 16:30
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A police logo [YONHAP]
A resident of an apartment complex in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, is facing criminal charges after tearing down a poster in an elevator out of concern for her child's safety.
According to Gimpo Police on Wednesday, a woman in her 30s tore down a poster from an apartment elevator on June 27 and was subsequently sued by the poster’s owner.
The woman told investigators she acted because her daughter, not yet a year old, kept grabbing the paper, and she feared the child could cut her hand. She said she thought little of the notice, which was made of A4 sheets and carried no seal from the management office.
But the poster’s owner filed a complaint accusing her of property damage. Police, citing surveillance footage, referred the case to prosecutors.
The poster was part of a broader dispute between the apartment’s resident council and some tenants. Notices were hung in every elevator, and even the management office avoided removing them. The woman said she had been unaware of the conflict while caring for her three children.
The apartment’s manager and a resident representative reportedly urged the complainant to drop the case but were rebuffed.
“I never imagined that tearing down a posting — as if removing an illegal flyer — could become a criminal act,” the woman said.
Police said the poster qualified as property because the complainant valued it. “From the woman’s perspective, there are unfair aspects to the case,” a police official said. “But it was difficult to conclude that no crime had been committed.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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