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“Is the Neighbor Noise Center Really Useless? (The Truth Behind Korea’s Noise Mediation System)”

by 주거문화개선연구소 2026. 4. 22.

🔊 “Who is this center really for?”

As apartment noise became a serious social issue,

👉 the government created a system for the first time

👉 The Neighbor Noise Mediation Center


Launched in 2013

👉 Led by the Ministry of Environment

👉 It became Korea’s first official consultation and on-site response system



🧠 “At first, it gave people hope”

In the past

👉 People couldn’t even talk about noise problems


Common responses were:

👉 “Just endure it”

👉 “It’s normal in apartments”


But after the center was established

👉 Noise problems became a public issue

👉 Not a personal complaint anymore


👉 This was a major shift



📉 So why are complaints increasing?

What people say most often:

👉 “It takes months after applying”

👉 “No follow-up or delayed measurement”

👉 “No legal authority”


👉 Some even say

👉 “It doesn’t help at all”



📊 What actually happened?

👉 Initially, complaints decreased


But later:

👉 Increased after 2018

👉 Surged during COVID

👉 Over 40,000 cases per year



💣 The core problem

👉 Complaints increased

👉 Response is slow

👉 Authority is limited


👉 Result:

👉 Public distrust



🧠 Then is the system useless?

Here’s the critical point


👉 The center is NOT just a complaint system


👉 Its existence alone provides:

✔ Relief for victims

✔ Awareness for noise makers


👉 And most importantly

👉 It turned noise from a “hidden issue”

👉 into a recognized public problem



📌 Key takeaway

👉 “The system is not perfect—but it is absolutely necessary.”