Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Sireno]

I have some issues with noisy neighbors at night time. They're new neighbors and it seems like at least 2 college boys (1st or 2nd year by the looks) are living in the one room next to mine. They just seem to speak loudly and laugh/yell/sing at night too much for me. I need to sleep by 11:30pm and they persist until around 1am usually. Two nights ago I politely asked them to be quiet in English and they could understand enough by what I heard them say in Korean. But not much luck. Last night I got real upset and yelling and cursing - I'm sure they got the message. However it seems to persist. Any suggestions? I don't much like sleeping with earplugs in as I've tried it. Do I ask my boss to call the landlord and discipline them somehow?

[Kimchifart]

[Julius]

Complain to the apartment manager....

[rkc76sf]

My wife had a terrible time with our last neighbors who lived above us. They have two kids who were always running, jumping, making lots of noise even late at night. They also would work late and come home at a late hour and start cleaning, try 2 am. My wife complained to the manager and they talked, to no avail. She finally got fed up and went upstairs and had a shouting match with the lady. After that, the neighbors were pretty quiet, but by then we decided to move out and bought an apartment on the top floor. So I guess my point is, even between Koreans they can't seem to agree to stop making noise, so there's probably not much hope for foreigners.

[Troglodyte]

I'm surprised that no one has suggested cranking up the volume on your stereo after they go to bed.

There was another thread recently were someone recommended playing porn instead of loud music. Then eventually come to an understanding with them about noise and respecting fellow tenants.

My favorite alternative to loud music involved taping a vibrating massager to the ceiling and letting it run at strange hours of the night. The benefit being that the neighbors wouldn't really know what you were doing to make the noise.

[Dodge7]

[alongway]

A Korean I know found a creative solution.
He had workers putting up wallpaper before he moved in. Apparently the guy downstairs was threatening to call the cops due to the noise. So the workers asked him to come over.

He decided to dress up full street gangster style before going over. Hair slicked back, track pants, arm band, with the chinese lettering on it, etc. Right out of the movies.
He also does a decent Jeolla-do accent (I guess that is how Korean gangsters typically talk)

He goes over and rings the guy's door. The guy and his wife come to the door. The guy was terrified. He asked him in his best accent if his guys could keep working. The guy couldn't even talk. Finally his wife said "Yes yes, of course."
since he's moved in, he doesn't dress like that, but apparently the people are still scared to death of him and won't even look at him in the elevator.

While he was the one making the noise in this case (I doubt they were making that much noise anyway) I figure it could work in reverse.

For those married to a Korean with a brother, or who have tough Korean guy friends, etc it could be an interesting strategy. Knock on the door and say something like:
"I was just visiting my sister/friend/whatever and they were saying how noisy it was. I didn't believe them, but since I'm going to be visiting a lot, I hope it's not this noisy all the time"

[PRagic]

I had it out with upstairs neighbors in one of the apartments in which we resided. Like the poster above, I tried being polite. We tried letters on the door. We tried working it out through the apartment management.

One day I got into it with the neighbor on the elevator. I started in VERY politely and they came back remarkably crudely. We ended up riding the elevator up and down having it out in verbal combat. We both walked away steamed as hell, but at least I made my point.

And then the next night I pissed all over their door. After that, they were quiet for a while.

[fermentation]

I have a neighbor with a noisy child. The mother came over and gave me a bag of Red Mandarins as an apology. I was cool with it because those things are good.

[Troglodyte]