Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Julius]

The other week I happened to be staying in a cheap minbak, one of those with paper-type thin walls where every sound resonates like thunder through the partitioning.

So next door is this noisy drunken 40-something ajosshi type. Its 9pm and even when he "closes" his door it literally sounds like a bomb going off. He turns on his TV, it sounds loud as a megaphone as if it was right in my room. Ho hum..gets to 11pm I decide its past his bedtime and knock on his door and request he turn down the TV. It goes quiet inside so I go back to bed.
I'm then awoken again by the loud TV at about 12. I go over, bang on his door as loud as possible and shout. No response. 10 minutes later I literally smash his door repeatedly so hard it and the entire minbak shakes, yelling in english to turn of the *beeping* TV!!. I stand there and continue until I'm afraid I'll break the door down. No reply.
Ultimately I just open his door (to my surprise its not locked). there is ajosshi, appearently fast asleep on the floor, his head within inches of the TV blaring, encircled by several empty bottles of soju.
Not being fluent in Korean I had brought my oown remote to demonstrate with hand gestures to turn off the Tv. I just press the button and bing his TV flicks off. Sooon after a good nights sleep was had by all!

but anyhow this is my theory: koreans need a blaring, comforting din in order to be able to get to sleep. I didn't believe it was possible to sleep with your ears right next to a loudspeaker, but apparently it is...unbelievable

[peppermint]

It's not a Korean thing, it's an individual thing. I find it much easier to sleep with a little low background noise too.

[Young FRANKenstein]

I fall asleep to music, but I don't stay asleep if it goes on all night. I set my player with a timer.

[princess]

Maybe the soju knocked him out.

[browneyedgirl]

[kreitler7]

It's not a Korean thing. He was just hammered.

[Fishead soup]

I was once kept awake by some drunks fighting outside my apartment.
I pelted them with eggs


I sleep well


I own the room

I control my apartment.

[RACETRAITOR]

[Mix1]

Sounds like the last "one room" I stayed in for a month. The chick next door had the TV on all night every night. And it was always those dumb variety host shows with all the retarded laughing and annoying sound effects. "Beeeoooowww....whooooaaaaaa!"

I knocked on the door at about 2 am once but she wouldn't open the door and kept shouting "Nugu se yo??" (who is it?) She did shut up finally though after a note on the door.

But, had an Aussie roommate who was the same way, only super loud volume levels and constant channel flicking all night. Some people have a sort of dependency on TV as a sort of opiate or something. That habit isn't good for them or those around them.

[Boodleheimer]

white noise helps me get to sleep.

[kreitler7]

[browneyedgirl]

[Tony_Balony]

I'm a fan of white noise. A night without white noise is a little too exciting. The creeks and moans of the house and the car door slams and the buzzes of my hearing is stressful.