When I Lie Down to Sleep, the 'Bwoong' Sound of Motorcycles... There Was a Reason for the 'Take It or Leave It' Response to Complaints

Noise Complaints Have Rapidly Increased Every Year Over the Past 5 Years
Only 134 Fines Imposed in Total

Complaints about motorcycle noise have been increasing every year, and although local governments have stepped up crackdowns, it has been revealed that fines have hardly been imposed.

According to data on the "Nationwide Motorcycle Noise Complaint and Crackdown Status" submitted by the Ministry of Environment to Lee Joo-hwan, a member of the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee from the People Power Party, the number of motorcycle noise complaints received by local governments nationwide surged from 428 cases in 2019 to 1,133 in 2020, 2,627 in 2021, and 3,033 in 2022. This year, the number has already reached 3,030 cases as of July, expected to far exceed last year's total.

A delivery worker is riding a motorcycle in downtown Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Along with this, crackdowns have also steadily increased. Over the past five years, the number of crackdowns and inspections by local governments were 37 times (299 vehicles) in 2019, 155 times (1,707 vehicles) in 2020, 353 times (6,004 vehicles) in 2021, and 412 times (7,461 vehicles) in 2022. This year, as of July, 314 crackdowns have been conducted, inspecting 5,163 vehicles.

However, compared to the number of crackdowns and inspections, the number of fines imposed and the total amount of fines are extremely low. The number of fines related to motorcycle noise was 1 case in 2019, 15 cases in 2020, 41 cases in 2021, 45 cases in 2022, and 32 cases as of July this year. Over the past five years, fines were imposed on only 134 cases, which is less than 1% of the total inspected vehicles. The total amount of fines was also limited to 90.36 million KRW, averaging about 670,000 KRW per case. Moreover, in Seoul, Daejeon, Chungbuk, and Gangwon, no fines were imposed in the past five years.

According to the Noise and Vibration Control Act, noise emitted from vehicles must comply with the noise emission standards for operating vehicles set by Presidential Decree, and mufflers or noise covers must not be removed, nor should additional horns be installed. Violating these regulations can result in fines of up to 2 million KRW. Additionally, in November last year, the Ministry of Environment designated motorcycles with exhaust noise exceeding 95dB as "mobile noise sources," allowing local governments to restrict their operation in certain areas and impose fines of 100,000 KRW for violations.

Despite these regulations, fines are rarely imposed because the noise emission standard for operating motorcycles is set high at 105dB, and local governments face difficulties in enforcement due to lack of personnel and budget. The Ministry of Environment also attempted to lower the exhaust noise emission standard for operating motorcycles but failed to pass the review by the Regulatory Reform Committee of the Office for Government Policy Coordination in June.

Assemblyman Lee said, "Complaints about the loud noise of motorcycles are rapidly increasing," and added, "The government must urgently prepare measures that can be implemented on the ground."