Impact of Longer Time Indoors During Winter
Kim Hee-jung: "The State Must Provide an Institutional Solution"
After the Lunar New Year holidays, when extended family members typically gather, the number of inter-floor noise complaints filed with the relevant authorities has been found to be higher than after the Chuseok holidays.
On February 17, based on data on consultations received by the Inter-floor Noise Neighbor Center between 2023 and 2025 submitted by the Korea Environment Corporation, Assemblywoman Kim Hee-jung of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee of the National Assembly analyzed the complaints reported during the week immediately following each holiday period and found that, every year, the number of complaints after the Lunar New Year holidays exceeded those after the Chuseok holidays.
In 2023, there were 1,222 inter-floor noise complaints filed during the week after the Lunar New Year holidays (January 21 to 24), roughly twice the 616 cases recorded after the same year’s Chuseok holidays (September 28 to October 3), which lasted six days.
In 2024 as well, there were 911 complaints during the seven days after the Lunar New Year holidays (February 9 to 12), whereas only 493 cases were reported during the Chuseok holidays (September 14 to 18), which spanned five days including a weekend. In 2025, there were 935 complaints during the week after the six-day Lunar New Year holidays (January 25 to 30), but only 748 cases were reported in the week immediately following the Chuseok holidays (October 3 to 9), which were extended by National Foundation Day and Hangeul Day on either side, making the post-Chuseok figure lower than after the Lunar New Year.
The office of Assemblywoman Kim analyzed that, because the Lunar New Year holidays fall in winter, when families tend to stay indoors for longer periods, conflicts over inter-floor noise are more severe than during Chuseok, leading to more complaints being filed after the holidays end.
The number of inter-floor noise consultations received over the three years from 2023 to 2025 totaled 102,124 cases: 36,435 in 2023, 33,027 in 2024, and 32,662 in 2025.
Assemblywoman Kim Hee-jung said, "Addressing inter-floor noise is about guaranteeing the people’s right to a pleasant residential environment, and it is an issue that the state must resolve institutionally, beyond relying on individual manners," adding, "I will work to the end to improve laws and systems so that our country’s outstanding construction technology can be properly applied to preventing inter-floor noise."
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