Korean Job Discussion Forums

[littlelisa]

This adjosshi is driving me crazy and I'm hoping for helpful advice or at least some humour. So this guy lives in the officetel across the hall from me and has this habit of going to the end of the hallway a little away from his door (but right near mine) and sitting there on this chair and smoking. The smell comes right into my apartment. After a day of this, I decided to go and ask him to stop smoking there. I'm pretty sure he's not allowed to smoke in the building like that. So he's very apologetic, and says he won't smoke there anymore.

Fast forward a day, he's there smoking again. I ask him again to not smoke there, and he says I know, I know. I'm sorry, I won't smoke here.

This continues to happen, so the next time I smell smoke, I go out and he's just gone back into his apartment. I happen to meet the ajumma who lives next door to me and she was wondering why I was in the hallway in my pyjamas, so I explained to her the story and said that I smelled smoke again, and that the adjosshi just went back into his apartment. So she drags me over to his door, rings the bell and tells him off for me. He says he's sorry and that it won't happen again.

So he's still smoking outside there. Any suggestions? I've talked to him at least three times now, I've kept throwing out his paper cups that he uses as ash trays that he leaves on the window sill. I've been considering moving that stupid chair (it's a big square cushiony one that belongs to the building), but I thought that since it belongs to the building it's probably not supposed to be moved.

The smoke really irritates me and I'm sure he shouldn't be smoking there. I asked and he's really not supposed to be smoking there at all. I think he's just lazy to go out AND doesn't want the smoke smell in his apartment. How nice, then, that he doesn't care that I don't want mine smelling of smoke either.

Creative solutions welcome.

[mgafunnell]

a spray bottle.

[pidgin]

Yes! ^ Spray him in the face with a glade-like substance

[littlelisa]

Ack, sorry, didn't mean to post twice. Stupid internet issues.

[Css]

Move the chair next to his door.

[kimuchiii]

[seoulsucker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5VnN9rXpFQ

Put up a "금연" sign next to the window.

Buy an extinguisher. Next time he is out there, bring it out and tell him to put it out, or you will. Guys like this don't respond to courtesy or polite requests.

Call him out, watch him throw a tantrum like a 12-year old girl who can't get Hanna Montana tickets, and PLEASE, for the love of God, get it on camera.

[losing_touch]

While I wish you luck, I highly doubt you are going to be successful in your quest. This is a smoking culture, and men smoke everywhere. They even smoke in the bathroom at the college. This is beyond my comprehension because it is equidistant from the door where they could go outside and smoke. They choose to go to the bathroom to smoke in a very nice building. They even smoke in elevators in my neck of the woods.

[merkurix]

Poor guy. He must be feeling a bit stressed. Tis the life of smokers; they are running out of places to smoke. He probably cannot smoke in his officetel as the ajumma that owns his chonsee has a contract clause that prohibits it. Going all the way dowstairs and outside in the cold to smoke is a real pain in the arse.

Two things that can work. You could suggest he go up or down a floor and use those end hallways.

Or if you like the slightly passive aggressive approach and you got 2,000 won to blow, go to a stationary shop and buy one of those '금연' (no smoking) signs and put it up somewhere visible.

[jkelly80]

OP, you're being incredibly culturally insensitive. In Korea, ajeossis are beyond rebuke. The reason is Confucius. He said women are inferior to men. So men grow up thinking they're kings, and beyond reproach, as long as it's 'male' behavior.

Was Confucius right on this point? NO! but when a lot of people in a non-Northern European country subscribe to an idea (no matter its merits) it becomes 'cultural'.

It doesn't matter that it's a stupid idea OP! If it's more than 1000 years old, Koreans (especially old man Koreans) apparently have a magic shield called 'culture' that protects them from being accountable for their actions.

I think you're wasting your time trying to be civil.

[littlelisa]

[merkurix]

[ChinaBoy]

steal the chair, don't just move it

[ED209]

Don't be scared to move the chair. Anyone shouts at you for doing so you should shout back why.

How is the smoke coming through your door? If it is through gaps round the side you may consider insulating the door frame. You should still be able to pick up some stuff down Emart or Homeplus. If this isn't an option I'd leave a packet of cyanide cigarettes resting on the chair.

Wasn't too long ago that a teacher died because of some drunken ajosshi stubbing out his ciggy on a sofa?(not to worry you or give you nightmares)

[Straphanger]

Put the stupid chair out with the trash.