Why did a food odor notice in a Korean apartment spark online debate?

The notice asked neighbors to be more careful about ventilation and odor control because strong cooking smells were entering one home in the evening. That led to arguments online over whether apartment residents should accommodate one another or simply be allowed to cook normal meals at home.

What foods were mentioned in the apartment cooking odor complaint?

The writer specifically mentioned cheonggukjang, a pungent fermented soybean stew, and grilled meat. The complaint said the smells were coming in through the balcony and windows and were strong enough to make it hard to keep the home ventilated.

How did Korean apartment residents react to the cooking smell complaint?

Reactions were split. Some said it was unreasonable to complain about cooking cheonggukjang or grilling meat in one’s own home, while others said repeated odors from neighboring units can be genuinely unpleasant and disrupt daily life.

'Can't I cook in my own home?' Food odor complaint divides Korean apartment residents

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Summary

A request for apartment residents to be mindful of strong evening cooking odors has sparked an online debate in Korea over neighborly tolerance in shared housing. The dispute began after a notice posted in an apartment elevator was shared on Threads on Tuesday. The writer said smells from cheonggukjang and grilled meat were entering the home around 8 p.m. and making it hard to ventilate. Online reactions split between complaints about cooking freedoms and calls for consideration of neighbors.

Key Facts

The notice said strong cooking odors were entering the home in the evening and causing significant discomfort in daily life.
The writer said the problem was especially severe around 8 p.m. and mentioned cheonggukjang and grilled meat as examples.
Some commenters argued that residents should be able to cook cheonggukjang or grill meat in their own kitchens, while others said persistent food odors can create genuine discomfort.

By Hankookilbo

Published Sep 18, 2026 2:23 pm KST

A request asking apartment residents to be mindful of strong cooking odors in the evening has sparked an online debate in Korea over how far neighbors should accommodate one another in shared housing.

The controversy began after a photo of a notice posted inside an apartment elevator was shared on the social media platform Threads on Tuesday.

"I would like to cautiously ask for everyone’s consideration," the writer said. "Recently, strong cooking odors have been entering our home during the evening, causing significant discomfort in our daily lives."

The writer said the problem was particularly severe around 8 p.m., when smells from foods such as cheonggukjang — a pungent fermented soybean stew — and grilled meat entered the home through the balcony and windows.

"The odors are so strong that it is difficult even to leave the windows open to ventilate the living room and bedrooms," the writer said, asking neighbors to "pay a little more attention to ventilation and odor control when cooking."

An apartment notice shared on Threads on Tuesday asks residents to be mindful of cooking odors in the evening, saying they are causing 'significant discomfort' to neighbors. Captured from Threads — An apartment notice shared on Threads on Tuesday asks residents to be mindful of cooking odors in the evening, saying they are causing "significant discomfort" to neighbors. Captured from Threads

But one resident who saw the notice pushed back in a post on Threads.

"Are we now living in an age when you get complaints for cooking cheonggukjang in an apartment in the evening?" the resident said. "I understand that the smell can be unpleasant for some people, but we still have to cook and eat."

Online reactions were similarly divided.

"Is it really a home if I can't even cook cheonggukjang or grill meat in my own kitchen?" one commenter said.

Another said the complaint went too far because the issue involved neither noise between apartments nor cigarette smoke, suggesting that those bothered by cooking smells close their windows and use an air purifier instead.

Others, however, said persistent food odors from neighboring units can cause genuine discomfort.

"Unless you've experienced having the smell of stews and cheonggukjang enter your home every day and having to rush to close the windows, you don't know what it's like," one commenter said.

The dispute reflects a familiar tension in Korea's densely populated apartment complexes, where residents live in close proximity and sounds, smells and other aspects of everyday life can easily spill into neighboring homes.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

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