Korean Job Discussion Forums

krisinkorea · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Location: Not too far from Seoul

I have the flu today and I was sleeping in my apartment in my bed on this Saturday afternoon when I woke up to find two Korean ladies walking into my apartment. One of the ladies is somebody's wife related to the school and the other lady was a stranger wanting to rent the apartments.

Our school is closing and the apartment building is being sold. We are being asked everyday to show our apartments with 5 minutes notice, to complete strangers. However, somebody like my director usually phones and asks permission to let people inside.

I have two doors. One, the outside door with a deadbolt and regular lock and an inside door with another lock. I woke up and saw these two ladies standing in apartment with keys in one hand. She started bowing and saying "Sorry, sorry" and they backed up out of my apartment and closed the inside door.

I immediately got out of bed and opened the first door to find them still standing there saying sorry and her motioning that she knocked but "no answer." I yelled for them to get out of my apartment and saying in English "You can't just come in my apartment!" "Get out!" and then I slammed the door on them and locked the two locks. I was furious. Of course they didn't understand anything I was saying so slamming the door was meant to get the point across.

None of my coworkers are home so I'm wondering who else's apartment is being entered without permission and how many times this may have happened in the last week.

I phoned my director and let her know nicely what happened and I told her that I got mad and slammed the door, etc. She said she'll talk with the janitor of the building on Monday as she did not know anything about it and apologized.

What would your reaction be?

sjrm · Joined: 27 Jul 2005

i'd be pissed too. when i was with my last school, the landlord would come into my apartment when i was at work, and then call the school and complain about where i put things. i then told my director to tell him never to come into my apartment again, unless he wanted me to come into his. that quickly took care of things.

JAWINSEOUL · Joined: 19 Nov 2005

If you walk into my apartment uninvited, you will be knocked out. Owners should understand that some people, your's truly, have been the victim of home invasions and will protect themselves first and ask questions later.

Walk in = Kocked out. (Period)

alabamaman · Joined: 25 Apr 2006

South Korean Constitution:

Article 16 [Home, Search, Seizure]
All citizens are free from intrusion into their place of residence. In case of search or seizure in a residence, a warrant issued by a judge upon request of a prosecutor has to be presented.

Dan The Chainsawman · Joined: 05 May 2005

Where the women hot?

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

Reason. · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA - for now.

krisinkorea · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Location: Not too far from Seoul

Helloooo! I am female and not a lesbian. I could care less about how hot or not hot K girls are, especially, ones that helped themselves into my apartment.

Col.Brandon · Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Location: Seoul

A good lesson here: ALWAYS dead-bolt your door when you're at home. Even some random moron who has the wrong apartment will just walk in without knocking in Korea. Too bad if you've just stepped out of the shower, or are in bed with a woody.

How to handle it when you're not home is a little more difficult. Maybe you could get a Korean friend who is unrelated to your work to help you change your locks so people can't come into your place without permission?

Return Jones · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 5:54 am Post subject:

A few years ago I was in the same situation. My school was closing and the landlord wanted to rent out my apartment out as soon as possible. That meant for the last two weeks I lived there she and various strangers would simply walk in without notice. At the time my Korean was limited, so I called my hogwon manager to put a stop to it explaining to her that foreigners don't like it when strangers simply walk into their homes uninvited. I couldn't believe I actually had to have someone explain this to her. I said that I don't mind an hour's notice or something like that, but she never did get the clue. The uninivited surprise visitors kept coming. Rolling Eyes

Gamecock · Joined: 26 Nov 2003

Or, instead of a deadbolt you could get a really friendly cat. Every time my door opens, my cat runs to greet those entering (usually me). Scares the heck out of the Koreans who have tried to enter...cats have those devil eyes, ya know... Smile

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Wishmaster · Joined: 06 Feb 2003

I don't care if I'm a citizen or not...you don't enter my fucking apartment. I've had several instances where I've been at the school and guys from maintenance(with the master key) entered but I couldn't prove it. Never had anyone enter while there. Seriously, I would react the same way here as back home. If someone entered your house back home...what would you do? Don't take their crap just because it is their "country". Also, don't listen to babosekkis like Urban Myth...he's a notorious brown noser and ass kisser...

ed · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

go to the store

get a metal swing arm for your door for about 3 bucks

screw it onto your door

use it whenever you are home

unless someone is strong enough to break that swing arm, no one is getting in when you are home.

the first thing i do when I move into a new apartment is change the locks

only my wife and I have keys to our place

SuperHero · Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Location: Superhero Hideout

this is a perfect example of why it is better to get your own apartment then rely on company housing.