Yangcheon-gu Supports Residents Affected by Aircraft Noise with Hearing Tests and More

Promotion of Four Customized Health and Welfare Services

Yangcheon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced on the 26th that it will implement four customized health and welfare services?‘psychological counseling, hearing tests, hearing aid support, and airport usage fee support’?for residents in airport noise-affected areas who suffer from hearing impairments, stress, depression, and other damages due to chronic aircraft noise exposure.

A resident undergoing a detailed hearing test at an otolaryngology clinic partnered with Yangcheon-gu. Provided by Yangcheon-gu.

To provide practical compensation and support for residents affected by airport noise, the district opened the directly managed Airport Noise Countermeasure Comprehensive Support Center in 2023 and is promoting various welfare enhancement projects tailored to the needs of its residents.

A representative project is the ‘psychological counseling support’ aimed at restoring the mental health of noise-affected residents. Eligible individuals can receive a total of eight free psychological counseling sessions from experts for various psychological difficulties caused by aircraft noise, such as stress, depression, and decreased concentration.

Couple, family, or group counseling is also available upon request. Psychological counseling recorded a satisfaction rate of 95.7% last year and has been highly praised by residents who received the support. This year, the district has significantly increased the support scale from 150 to 300 participants and expanded the number of counseling institutions from five to eight to broaden choices. Notably, anyone residing in the affected area can apply regardless of residency requirements.

Residents in the affected areas with hearing impairments such as hearing loss or tinnitus are eligible for ‘detailed hearing tests.’ This year, support is available for 350 people who have lived in the Yangcheon-gu airport noise-affected area for more than three years as of the application date and show signs of hearing impairment. Selected individuals can make advance reservations and receive tests at 25 medical institutions partnered with the district. After the first basic hearing test, a second detailed test will be conducted if abnormalities are found.

For residents who are not registered as hearing disabled but require hearing aids due to severe hearing loss, ‘hearing aid purchase costs’ are supported. This project targets residents diagnosed with moderate hearing loss who face difficulties but fall outside existing support systems, providing up to 1 million KRW per person (with a 10% personal contribution) to 100 residents.

Residents in airport noise-affected areas can also receive support for airport usage fees for passengers departing from Gimpo Airport. Adults are supported up to twice a year with 17,000 KRW for international flights and 4,000 KRW for domestic flights.

For more details, residents can refer to the district office website’s announcements. Those wishing to apply should check the application locations and required documents for each project starting this month and visit the district office’s Environment Division, Airport Noise Countermeasure Comprehensive Support Center, or local community centers to apply. Applications for airport usage fee support are also available online.

Mayor Lee Gi-jae stated, “We are not only demanding improvement measures from the government for residents who have suffered from aircraft noise for decades but also implementing practical compensation measures to directly care for residents.” He added, “We will continue to discover and promote support projects that meet the needs of our residents and have a high sense of impact.”