Actor Kim Bin-woo ultimately apologized personally after a noise complaint over a late-night live broadcast. Still, calls continue for celebrities to be more cautious in their social media activity.
On the 11th, a TikTok live video of Kim Bin-woo quickly spread across online communities and social media. In the released video, Kim Bin-woo is wearing flashy light-up glasses, holding a microphone, and enjoying dancing and singing to the music. The atmosphere evoked a "home club."
The problem was that the broadcast time was around 1 a.m. When one viewer asked, "Is this an APT.?" Kim Bin-woo replied, "I'm on the first floor?" and debate followed. Some fans defended her, saying, "If it's the first floor, isn't it fine?" but others criticized, saying, "It's too noisy at that hour," and "The noise is transmitted even to the diagonal units."
The controversy grew especially because apartment noise is not simply a problem for the downstairs neighbors. According to experts, noise in multiunit housing can travel not only through floors but also through walls and pillars to neighboring, upper and diagonal units. In fact, some netizens who said they had experienced noise from upstairs showed up and pointed out, "Just because it's the first floor doesn't justify holding a microphone and singing at dawn." Other netizens also responded, "The microphone at dawn was excessive," and "Acting like a single-family home in a multiunit dwelling can be a public nuisance."
As the controversy spread, Kim Bin-woo finally bowed her head. Through social media she apologized, saying, "I am deeply reflecting on my thoughtless action. I will be more careful going forward. I am sorry."
Some netizens reacted, "Mistakes can happen, but it's fortunate she apologized quickly," but others said, "Her initial response was too brazen, which made it more disappointing," and "Noise between floors is a sensitive issue for everyone, so she should have been more careful." Under current law, noise regulations apply to first-floor residents as well, and if the behavior is repeated it can lead to severe criminal penalties, so many said she should have been more cautious.
Ultimately, this controversy showed again that the issue is not simply "it's fine if you're on the first floor," but about basic consideration and empathy for living together in multiunit housing. Especially for influential figures such as entertainers, even small actions can be seen by many as standards, so voices say a more cautious attitude is needed.
[photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]