On the first day of a move, I once saw a student standing in front of the neighbor's door holding a box of snacks. I'm an international student: "Do I have to go apologize to the upstairs neighbors first?" He asked. In Korea, when you move in, it's common to offer a greeting like "Please tell us if we're too noisy," instead of rice cakes or toilet paper. ## Your Floor Is Your Neighbor's Ceiling Korean apartments were built very quickly and in huge numbers in the 1970s and 80s, as people flooded into the cities. The method widely used back then was a structure where the walls and floors are firmly joined together with concrete. It's sturdy and quick to build, but a thud travels far through the walls and floors. Korean homes have ondol heating pipes under the floor, so people sit and lie down on the floor, and children play on it too. So the sound of footsteps in our home becomes the sound on the ceiling of the home below. ## That's Why Greetings Changed In the past, neighbors got to know each other by sharing rice cakes. These days, we may not know our neighbors' faces, but we hear their sounds every day. As disputes over noise have increased, a "greeting to ask for understanding in advance" has emerged. The notice posted in the elevator before construction comes from the same spirit. ## What You Can Do Right Away - Wearing indoor slippers and laying down a thick mat greatly reduces the sound of footsteps. - When your neighbor's noise is hard to bear, tell the management office first rather than going over to confront them directly. If you lose your temper, things can get worse. - If it still isn't resolved, you can get counseling at the 'Neighbor Center (이웃사이센터)'. Be sure to check how to use it online.