Man sends worker to his death over loud music

A window cleaner’s life was cut short after a man cut a safety line securing the worker while he was cleaning the facade of a high-rise apartment.

The worker, who plummeted to his death on June 8, was a breadwinner for five children.

A 41-year-old resident of the high-rise at Deokgye-dong, Yangsan, South Gyeongsang, was arrested on Tuesday on the charge of homicide.

According to police, the victim and his three colleagues were lowering themselves on the safety lines to prepare to clean the windows.

During their work, they played music with their phones and the Yangsan resident complained about the noise. The victim was working around the 14th floor of the building when the irate resident demanded one of the workers turn off the music.

However, the victim reportedly did not hear the request and the resident then climbed the stairs of the building and cut the victim’s safety line with a pair of box cutters.

The worker plummeted to his death from the 14th floor of the 15-story building. The resident then attempted to cut the safety line of another worker at the scene.

“[The resident] worked as a day laborer,” said police, “but on the day of the incident, he returned home after being unable to find work. We understand he was intoxicated.”

Although the resident initially denied his involvement, he confessed after police were able to confirm his identity using CCTV.

“I cut the safety line as I was furious because of the music,” said the resident. “I didn’t intend to kill him, I only wanted to scare him, but this is what happened.”

There are plans for an additional investigation into two superintendents of the high-rise for not properly securing the roof of the 15-story building.

The victim leaves behind four daughters and one son. The youngest is 2 years old and the oldest is an 11th grader.

He had made a modest living through his father-in-law’s store and only began window cleaning two or three years ago as a subcontractor through a construction company. Though the work was difficult and risky, he could take home up to 4 million won ($3,500) a month.

“My son-in-law was very diligent, and though he wasn’t well-off, he lived happily with his family,” said his father-in-law. “Now with my son-in-law gone, I’m unsure how my daughter will raise those five kids by herself.”

BY WE SUNG-WOOK [hwang.hosub@joongang.co.kr]