A man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing a neighbor in an apartment elevator in Daegu, in what police believe was a dispute over inter-floor noise.
The Daegu Seobu Police Station said Thursday it had apprehended the suspect, identified only as A, and was questioning him on murder charges. A is accused of stabbing to death a neighbor in his 50s, identified as B, whom he encountered in an elevator at an apartment building in Daegu's Seo-gu district at around 10:40 a.m. that day.
Officers responded to a report from an apartment official and arrested A at the scene in front of the first-floor elevator. A sustained self-inflicted wounds during the incident and was transferred to a hospital for treatment. His injuries are not life-threatening, authorities said.
Investigators determined that A was carrying the weapon at the time of the encounter with B. Police believe the attack followed a dispute over inter-floor noise and are investigating the precise circumstances. Both men lived with their families in the building.
"A noise complaint was filed about a year ago and was closed on site," a police official said. "We plan to apply for an arrest warrant after questioning A."
Inter-floor noise disputes have emerged as a social issue in Korea, with some cases escalating into serious crimes including murder. According to a report on the status and characteristics of inter-floor noise crimes published in 2024 by the Police Policy Research Center of the Korean National Police University, 734 violent and assault crimes stemming from inter-floor noise disputes were recorded over the decade from 2013. About 10% of those cases involved serious crimes such as murder, and roughly 40% involved weapons.
