Actor Ki Eun-se apologized after receiving complaints from residents over remodeling work at her detached house in Pyeongchang-dong.
On the 27th of last month, netizen A posted on their social media that they had been harmed by Ki Eun-se's remodeling work at the Pyeongchang-dong house.
A wrote, "I lived in the U.S. and returned to my parents' home in Pyeongchang-dong, Korea, after a long time, and seeing the construction next door is really something else. They say actor Ki Eun-se is moving in and has been repairing it for months, and construction vehicles have occupied the alley in front of the house so residents can hardly pass a single car. The area is full of construction waste and dust, and the neighborhood hasn't even been properly cleaned," they pointed out.
Earlier, Ki Eun-se announced the Pyeongchang-dong move on her personal YouTube channel in March. She said, "Nothing has been done in terms of design and the house is so old that many facilities need work. Right now we are carefully repairing the facilities before the interior work," revealing plans for a major remodel.
But she was protested by a neighboring resident during the construction process. A said, "At first they said it would be finished by mid-April, but now when I asked they changed it to mid-May or say they don't know when it will be finished. They seem to be trying to brush off these inconveniences because she's a celebrity, but where does that sense of entitlement that assumes the sacrifice of surrounding neighbors come from?" they complained.
Netizens who saw this reacted "Call the district office and request a halt to the construction," and "celebrities' sense of entitlement." Conversely, others defended her, saying "it's unavoidable," "construction often takes longer than expected, doesn't it?", "the poster's parents' house will never need construction so why would they care about bothering neighbors?", and "being a public figure doesn't mean they deserve public condemnation."
Amid this, A posted an additional message saying, "I complained out of frustration and thank you for the attention. She sent an apology DM," indicating they had received an apology from Ki Eun-se. A continued to post photos of construction vehicles parked in the alley, pointing out, "There seems to be no intention to improve at all. It's hard for cars to get out of the neighboring alley," and on the 30th said, "After I posted today's site photos, the site manager visited. We received a promise that parking and garbage issues will be corrected going forward."
However, A expressed discomfort, saying, "The site manager mentioned an incident that occurred recently during the process of transplanting a tree into our yard. A crane came in and unexpectedly snagged a power line, causing about three hours of traffic disruption. They said they were inconvenienced then too but, as neighbors, they didn't say anything. Comparing a one-off accident that happened during planting to months of continued poor site management since early March is quite uncomfortable for neighbors," and added, "The construction will continue until May 15 and after that parking lot work will proceed separately. I hope these matters are resolved considerately so we don't have to face each other angrily and the work finishes well," announcing that the complaint had been resolved amicably.
After that, A did not post any further messages, but as the original post spread and became news, Ki Eun-se's agency Sublime issued an official statement explaining the situation in detail. Sublime said, "We recognized that about two weeks ago a complaint arose from some residents about parking inconvenience and cleaning related to interior work being carried out at the villa where Ki Eun-se was scheduled to move. She apologized to the resident who raised the concern, completed neighborhood cleaning, and took prompt measures to alleviate vehicle traffic inconvenience. We are also cleaning the site and surrounding area daily and taking care to maintain cleanliness," indicating they had been paying particular attention after becoming aware of the complaint.
They added, "Since the complaint arose, we have continuously communicated with nearby residents to coordinate moving and construction-related matters to prevent additional inconveniences. At present, the construction is proceeding without any further complaints," and said, "The contractor is also maintaining steady communication with residents, and we will monitor and manage more closely to prevent discomfort until the work is completed. We ask for your understanding for any concern caused," offering an apology.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Ki Eun-se YouTube
[OSEN]