Two violent incidents took place during the Lunar New Year holiday as feuds between neighbors over noise left two people dead and several others injured.
Two brothers in their 30s were stabbed to death in a dispute with a neighbor over noise complaints during their visit to their parents’ apartment in Myeonmok-dong in northeast Seoul on Saturday, police said.
The 45-year-old suspect, surnamed Kim, who was visiting his girlfriend’s house, which sits directly below the apartment of the victims’ parents, allegedly marched upstairs to complain to the brothers about the noise level and loud footsteps, the Jungnang Police Station said.
As their altercation grew more heated, Kim suggested that they take the argument outside and then allegedly stabbed the two brothers multiple times near the apartment building, officers said.
The brothers, who were found by the apartment janitor, died later at a hospital, they said.
The alleged murderer immediately fled after the stabbings and is being pursued by the police, officers said.
Police said Tuesday they have requested a search warrant to access Kim’s phone records as part of efforts to locate him.
In a separate incident, an arrest warrant has been sought for a 49-year-old man, who allegedly set fire to a neighbor’s home in Mok-dong, southwestern Seoul, Sunday after a dispute over noise, the police said.
Six members of the family, including the homeowner surnamed Hong and his grandchildren, were badly burned due to the alleged arson, the Yangcheon Police Station said.
The suspect, surnamed Park, allegedly set fire to his neighbor’s home using a bottle filled with gasoline after he was angry about noise coming from their holiday gathering, officers said.
The dispute between the two households has been ongoing for the last four years as Park even won a compensation lawsuit over the issue of leaking water, they said.
“Park apparently committed the crime after he was unable to control his temper caused by the noise coming from upstairs on the day of Seol (the Lunar New Year holiday),” a police officer close to the investigation said.
The Lunar New Year season is one of two major holidays in South Korea that traditionally sees families get together in their hometowns to visit family graves.
As more people gather into cramped spaces during holidays, noise complains usually rise, officers said.
According to the Ministry of Environment, there were a total of
7,021 complaints lodged with its consultation center about noise traveling between floors last year.
The center was opened last year by the ministry to solve such feuds between neighbors. (Yonhap News)
