Public anger growing over apartment janitor suicide

An online petition to punish the alleged abuser drew more than 400,000 endorsements. /Screen capture from president.go.kr

By Lee Hyo-jin

Calls have been growing for law enforcement to punish a man who allegedly abused a janitor physically at his apartment complex in northern Seoul, following the janitor's suicide earlier this month.

A petition posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website demanding punishment has gathered more than 400,000 endorsement as of Tuesday.

One user with the id 'kakao-***' left a comment saying, “I strongly support the petition and think that strong legal punishment will prevent these kinds of tragic events in the future.”

Another comment read, “The abuser must be punished as an example to stop other abusive crimes towards people in weaker positions.”

The 59-year-old apartment janitor was found dead May 10 in his home in Gangbuk-gu, northern Seoul. It was later revealed that he had suffered constant physical and verbal abuse from a specific resident since the end of April. The bullying started from a minor conflict between the two regarding a parking space in the apartment parking lot.

A recording made by the janitor was found in which he described how the resident physically abused him and repeatedly threatened to kill him. He also pled for strong punishment to protect other possible victims.

During police questioning at Gangbuk Police Station, May 18, the accused resident denied most of the allegations raised against him.

As public voices are rising for the government to implement measures to better protect the labor rights of janitors in apartment complexes, Gangbuk District Office announced comprehensive measures Monday to improve their working conditions and those of security guards.

The measures include a thorough investigation of apartment complexes in the district for any human rights violations, and detailed measures to prevent and punish abusive action towards workers.