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'Revenge' parking: Owner blocks apartment entrance with parked car

Published: 14 Nov. 2025, 20:41

A white sedan is seen parked horizontally in front of a vehicle barrier at the entrance to an apartment complex in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, in this photo posted on an online community. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A case involving a car owner who blocked the entrance to an apartment complex in retaliation after receiving a parking violation notice has sparked widespread outrage online.

On Thursday, a post titled “Revenge illegal parking at apartment entrance — what should we do?” (translated) appeared on an online community along with a photo showing the incident.

The image shows a white sedan parked horizontally in front of a vehicle barrier at the entrance to an apartment complex, completely obstructing entry and exit. The photo was reportedly taken in front of an apartment complex in Bucheon, Gyeonggi.

The building security guard said the driver parked the car that way in retaliation for receiving a parking sticker — then fled the scene without leaving contact information, according to the post’s author.

The author expressed frustration, writing, “Is there no way to resolve this through legal or enforced means? Residents are suffering, and there’s no recourse.”

Online commenters reacted with fury, saying, “This looks like something that could be reported to the police,” “Can’t it be towed?” and “What if it’s blocking a fire lane?”

This is not the first time so-called “revenge parking” has sparked outrage.

A Bentley vehicle parked in front of a gate to a parking lot is seen in this photo uploaded on an online community. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

On Nov. 5, police in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, received a report that a Bentley had blocked a back entrance to an apartment parking lot in Gochon-eup around 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 4.

Investigators found that the Bentley owner had taken offense to instructions from a security guard while using a valet service, prompting the act.

Blocking an apartment entrance may constitute the offense of general traffic obstruction under Article 185 of the Criminal Act.

The law states that damaging roads, waterways or bridges, or otherwise obstructing traffic — including intentionally blocking residential access roads and temporarily preventing vehicle passage — can be punished by up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to 15 million won ($10,280).

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 SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]