Park Hyatt Busan sued over voyeurism

Signs posted on windows of a Hyundai I'Park apartment in Busan, Tuesday, read. “No sex, we can see all.” A resident of the luxury apartment complex put the signs, warning hotel customers of Park Hyatt Busan that residents can see them due to the short distance between the two buildings. Seen left are mannequins the resident placed alongside the signs. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-won

Thirteen residents of a luxury apartment complex in Busan filed a lawsuit against a construction company recently, saying their privacy and views were damaged due to the opening of a top-class hotel nearby.

The residents of Haeundae Hyundai I’Park said Wednesday they had filed the lawsuit with a district court against Hyundai Development Co. (HDC).

They said they lost their rights to a view when the HDC built the 33-story Park Hyatt Busan in February across the street from the apartment complex. The residents also said their privacy was severely affected as hotel customers could look into their bedrooms and living rooms frequently. The two buildings are 20 meters from each other.

“We even can’t change our clothes because hotel customers habitually stare at us,” one of the residents was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

Another problem is that the residents can also see inside the hotel rooms. Some residents even put signs on their windows reading, “No sex in the hotel!” Other facilities which should be private, such as toilets, can also be seen from the apartments.

Residents were upset that HDC neglected their request to protect their privacy. They say the only interest of the company is to make money, and it stopped caring about them after it sold the apartments.

HDC officials were not available for comment.

However, realtors said it does not make sense for the residents to complain about lost privacy and rights to a view as they knew the hotel would be built when they signed contracts to buy their homes.

“At the time, most of them even welcomed the hotel because they thought it would boost their home prices. Now they complain about it because they cannot afford to pay their outstanding mortgages,” said a realtor in the neighborhood on condition of anonymity.

She said she suspected the residents filed the complaint with the court because they were upset their apartment prices did not rise as much as they expected.

An official of the management company of the apartment complex said no complaints have been filed with it.

Park Hyatt Busan said it was sorry residents of the I’Park and the HDC are in conflict over the issue and hoped it could be resolved satisfactorily as soon as possible.