Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Robot_Teacher]

Do Korean landlords have every right to intrude on you? What recourse can I take to ensure it never happens again? Do you have the right to self defense where you can fight when someone sneaks up on you inside your apartment?

Shortly after waking up at 10 minutes to 7, booting my computer up, brewing coffee, I think I hear someone keying in and walking in, so I peek out my room to the horrifying site of this bastard man standing there looking straight at me in just my undies not saying anything. A thought goes through my mind to grab a knife nearby, but he looked like a harmless wino so I don't. Problem is, I had both locks engaged on the door, one of which I don't have a key to, but lock from inside.

I said, "who the fuk are you? get out now!" but he fails to respond and just stands there in front of me with his shoes still on having walked 20 feet to the kitchen. I then ask again with no response so I force his arse out of the apartment strong arming him, quickly grab my phone, run back to the door, he's trying to walk out the building so I stop him as he's grabbing the exit door, grab his hand and pull him back in, and walk him to the corner to explain himself using a translator on the phone. Wasn't letting that bastard get away without explaining himself if it meant chasing him down in my undies. I was ready to knock his arse out cold, but refrained since he wasn't talking or acting hostile; just intrusive. I then notice his key stuck in my door to the 2nd lock for which I don't have a key to and he attempts to pull it out, but can't so I yank it out and ask, "why you do this?" I asked my school 2 weeks ago for this key to be told it doesn't exist. This extra key allows the landlord to lock the tenant out should he feel like doing so.

Turns out he is the landlord doing an un-announced inspection at 7AM Monday morning with out even knocking or announcing himself! WTF? He also has the key to the 2nd door lock I was denied when I asked my school who told me there was no key to the 2nd lock. This really freaked me out when I noticed the second lock was breached this morning. I'm not sure I want to stay here now that I know you can just be violated, intruded upon, and have no right to privacy whatsoever. Communist people portraying democracy if you ask me. Exotic human zoo animal anyone?

While this is not America, we Americans kill unannounced sneaky intruders. Even the landlords wouldn't dare do this and it's against the law for them to do so anyhow while there's a law allowing you a right to self defense which includes violently bearing arms in self defense. I didn't come to Korea to be hostile, but I'm not going to be disrespected and walked all over.

[T-J]

Get a chain for your door. You know the kind you fasten from the inside and stops the door after it's been opened an inch or so. End of problem.

It's a good idea to have it regardless. There is a high chance the locks on you place haven't been changed in quite a while and there is no telling how many keys to your place have been lost in the past.

Get the chain and ask your landlord to have the locks changed, you will probably have to pay for it but it is worth it in my opinion.

On a final note, I'm not sure how long you have been in Korea, but you do not want to beat the shit out of an intruder here. As screwy as it sounds you will be the one in trouble.

The one that receives the most damage or injury in an altercation is the victim here. I oversimplify a little, but that is the gist of it.

[Robot_Teacher]

Yea, I pretty much instantly knew that it's not OK to beat down a Korean even if they're intruding your living space be it passive aggressive like in my case or totally hostile. They're not going to approach you in a hostile manner unless you did something like steal their girlfriend, but are just simply blatantly rude without showing hostile emotions. Because they're almost never hostile in this culture, this allowed their enemies over the ages to easily beat them down and invade or manipulate them during war times. We too are expected to be tolerant of people with no common courtesies. While Korea is another culture far from home, I find it hard to believe they don't know common courtesies of respect. Well behaved Koreans do show courtesies and respect towards others.

Gently escorting them out of your house like it I did is what you do or just let them stay as long as they like and break out the phone to get a translator to help get some explaining done, becuase he's doing it for a reason he'll probably lie to your translator or your translator will lie in order to save face as to prevent a situation from escalating as the truth can be ugly discrimination. If a confrontational situation is not inside your apartment, you can just walk away as long you didn't do anything wrong like steal or beat someone down. A couple weeks ago at Emart, I was putting my cart back and this man tried to take it by force without offering a 100 won coin so I just muscled it into the row of carts, got my coin, and took a cab. Totally rude man, but I just went about my business instead of getting hostile.

Landlords early Monday morning intrusion is simply a passive aggressive approach to taunt me in letting me know I'm not liked or wanted here by himself and other older locals he knows. This is totally unjustified as I haven't been having wild parties or playing loud music and keep it clean. This is totally what I believe as the older people are not friendly in my town, but are rude in a passive aggressive manner with totally cold emotionless emptiness.

[Cheonmunka]

No, it's not okay Robot. Guy should be on his arse. Anyway, you did the right thing the best way.

[cdninkorea]

Don't tell your landlord you're changing the locks- just hire a locksmith and do it. I had an electronic keypad lock installed, and it was the best 105,000 won I spent on the apartment. Regular key locks are much chaper though.

As for the second lock that you don't have a key to: plug it full of glue or something so it can't be used. That way yoiu can't be locked out of the apartment.

[blackjack]

[OiGirl]

Sure, it's okay by the landlord. But I would not be living there any longer.

[michaelambling]

Robot, you did the right thing.

Go to your school and demand a new apartment immediately. Or have them contact the landlord, have him promise never to do this again and offer you a full, written apology. Nothing less will suffice.

[justaguy]

Change the locks.

There are plenty of locksmiths around and the prices can be very reasonable. Like someone else mentioned, your old lock may have other keys out there floating around in the hands of people you don't know.

I have 2 locks on my door, an old one and a new one. A few years ago late at night a guy opened the old lock but couldn't open the new one. I thought it was my landlord because I never gave him the new key. It turned out to be the previous tennant, who was so drunk he thought he still lived there.

It was all a drunk innocent mistake. His red face turned to a much deeper color of red when her saw me in the doorway and realized where he was.

[Korussian]

[Straphanger]

[Straphanger]

[bassexpander]

Just change one of the locks. And yeah, maybe a "shticky" that blocks the door from opening from the inside (that's why my first boss called it, anyway).

They only need to change the internals of the lock. Considering a whole new round-key lock cost me about 60,000 installed a few years back, just changing the insides of it should run under 30,000 I'd guess.

[Alyssa]

welcome to korea, where rude strange crazy behavior is the norm

[bassexpander]

Here is what a shticky (stick key?) looks like:

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd16/bassexpander/shtickey.jpg