There are outbreaks of strife between apartment residents taking place at apartment complexes across the country, over the management and operation of their apartments. In Gwangju the head of the governing association actually died in the course of conflict there, and at one apartment complex there are three residents' associations that are attacking each other in propaganda wars. Most conflict and dispute originates out of irregularities that include the embezzlement of management fees. The results of a police inquiry indicate that one out of five apartment complexes has some sort of problem relating to irregularities.
Apartments are now the most typical form of common housing. They are more than simple living zones; they are essentially local governments. The representatives of residents' associations lack a full understanding as to what their duties are, and residents themselves are uninterested in how apartments are operated and managed. The result is that there is not transparent management and democratic operation of common housing. Put simply, democracy has yet to spread to everyday community life, to every last neighborhood.
If corruption in apartment management is going to be uprooted residents need to be willing to participate and have a sense of community, in order to establish apartment management rules and principles and then watch to see those are followed. If accountants and tax consultants participate in the audits at their apartments, that would prevent corruption and help reduce management fees. Civic groups have developed a tools for better community participation such as a checklist for auditing management fees and by issuing things like "action guidelines for residents seeking transparent apartment management," so asking them for their advice or assistance would be one way of going about it.
Government offices need to stop seeing the discord as ownership disputes between individuals and get actively involved in guidance and oversight. It is common for residents to avoid taking the initiative because of the nature of issue involving neighbors, so government offices need to take action in working-level apartment management, the basis for selecting companies that perform outsourced jobs, and notifying residents of the methods of apartment inspection. There has to be an active use of "dispute arbitration committees" to mediate and arbitrate disputes and conflict between residents.
The Hankyoreh, 5 April 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Residents Make Apartments Transparent |
