"Ventilator Noise Too Loud": Neighbor Sentenced to Prison for Stalking Restaurant Owner

126 Threatening Texts, 44 Visits: Repeated Harassment
Abusive Messages Despite Owner’s Efforts... Restaurant Forced to Close

A man in his 50s who persistently harassed a restaurant owner for more than a year over what he claimed was excessive noise from a kitchen ventilator—ultimately leading the owner to close the business—has been sentenced to prison for stalking. The court found that the noise level was not unbearable, yet the man repeatedly made threats, judging his crime to be of a particularly serious nature.

Gwangju District Court building.

Seo Ji-hye, a judge sitting alone in the Criminal Division 4 of the Gwangju District Court, announced on the 4th that she had sentenced Mr. A (age 58), who had been indicted for violating the Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes, to 10 months in prison and ordered him to complete a 40-hour stalking treatment program.

From February 2023 to March last year, Mr. A persistently stalked the restaurant owner, Mr. B, near his residence in Buk-gu, Gwangju. He called Mr. B ten times to complain, sent 126 text messages, and visited the restaurant 44 times to make threats, among other repeated stalking behaviors, leading to his indictment.

Investigations revealed that Mr. A had been in conflict with Mr. B over the ventilator noise since Mr. B opened the restaurant in 2022. Although Mr. B tried to reduce the noise by changing the location of the exhaust outlet, Mr. A continued to send abusive text messages and filmed the interior and exterior of the restaurant to monitor and harass Mr. B.

Even after Mr. B blocked his number, Mr. A continued to pressure him, sending messages such as, "I just came home and need to rest, so keep it quiet. Turn it off quickly." In October last year, Mr. A injured Mr. B and received a summary order. Ultimately, Mr. B, unable to endure the severe psychological distress, was forced to close the restaurant.

The court stated, "There is no evidence that the restaurant ventilator noise exceeded a tolerable level, yet Mr. A persistently harassed the victim over an extended period." The judge also pointed out, "Despite the victim's plea for severe punishment, Mr. A continues to insist that his actions were justified."

The court further explained the reason for the prison sentence, stating, "It is necessary to raise awareness about the gravity and seriousness of the offense."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.