This blog post analyzes why the issue of floor noise is recurring and not being resolved from various perspectives, including legal systems, construction issues, lack of education, and lack of community awareness.
A long time ago, on May 17, 2014, an incident occurred in an apartment in Seoul, South Korea, in which a neighbor upstairs was killed after he brandished a weapon at his neighbor downstairs after an argument over noise. The resident living downstairs visited the upstairs house and complained that he could hear a “thumping sound,” and the two got into an argument. In the end, the fight ended with the death of one person. This is not the only incident. In Korea, conflicts over noise problems between floors often lead to fights and even extreme measures such as murder. In fact, the 110 Government Civil Service Call Center, operated by the National Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, conducted a survey of 3,040 people through the 110 Call Center blog and Facebook, and 88% of the respondents said they had been stressed by noise from the floor above. In addition, 54% of the respondents had experienced an argument with their neighbors due to noise from the floor above, with verbal arguments, retaliation, and physical fights in that order. These numbers alone show that the problem of floor noise in Korea is very serious. However, what is even more serious is that there is no consensus on a solution that can reduce the problem of floor noise. Whenever a murder occurs due to the problem of floor noise, the media reports the incident seriously and public opinion sympathizes with the victim of the incident. Also, the government comes up with solutions or conflict resolution measures in a hurry, but they do not receive as much attention as the victims or perpetrators of the incident. The solutions offered by the government do not really resonate with people, and they sound like a temporary measure to get out of the situation, so it can be said that the repetition of this meaningless cycle has numbed the people. In fact, there is a simple solution to reduce noise between floors. Use the cleaning and laundry machines during the day and wear slippers with soft soles. You can also attach a noise-proof label to the bottom of the furniture and lay a living room mat. But, who among us doesn’t know these solutions? It’s because we don’t practice them, but I don’t think anyone can’t do it because they don’t know. Therefore, the reason why the problem of noise from floors is constantly occurring despite the fact that everyone knows about this solution is that the government’s efforts to solve the problem of noise from floors are not fundamentally addressing the problem. I will criticize the problems with the government’s solution and present the fundamental solution I believe is needed.
First, the government has been too slow to establish laws and regulations on noise from floors, and there are many problems. Until a few months ago, there was no law in Korea to regulate noise between floors that occurs in real life. The Noise and Vibration Control Act, which manages noise and vibration in Korea, has standards for regulating traffic noise, workplace noise, and aircraft noise, but there are no standards for compensation for damage from noise between floors, so legal resolution and compensation have not been properly carried out. In response, the government enacted and implemented the “Rules on the Interfloor Noise Standards for Apartment Buildings,” which set the minimum standards for living noise that must be observed in apartment buildings, on May 14, 2014. This rule defines interfloor noise as direct impact noise and airborne noise and sets noise limits for daytime and nighttime noise. Once the standards are in place, if the parties involved in a dispute over noise between floors cannot reach a settlement, the standards can be applied when a public agency mediates or settles the dispute. However, if you look at the contents of the “Rules on Noise Standards for Floors in Apartment Buildings,” the rules hold the residents of the apartment building responsible for noise between floors. But is the responsibility always only on the residents? The problem of noise between floors can arise from the construction of the building. When constructing a building, there have been cases where defects in building materials were found or low-quality materials were used to save on construction costs. To prevent this, the thickness of the materials used for the floors and walls of the building should be increased to prevent noise. There may be opposition to this, saying that if the concrete used in the floors and walls of buildings is thickened, the construction cost will increase, which will ultimately lead to an increase in housing prices, making it more difficult for ordinary people to buy a home. However, according to an article in the Korea Construction Newspaper in 2002 about the increase in the construction cost of public housing, the public housing corporation promoted the plan to increase the construction cost on the premise of seeking cost-saving factors in other sectors to offset the increase in the cost of the apartments. Therefore, if the construction cost increases, the economic burden on the general public can be reduced by finding cost-saving factors in other sectors. After the construction is completed, a representative of the tenants should be selected and experts should be mobilized to check whether the building is properly soundproofed, thereby building trust between the construction company and the tenants. In summary, the government should not only hold residents accountable for the problem of noise between floors, but also establish laws and regulations that take into account all factors from the construction of the building.
Second, the government has not properly implemented education on floor noise and promotion of solutions to the problem of floor noise. In Korea, education on floor noise is not properly implemented or is not implemented at all from kindergarten to university. As Korea’s national income increases and the quality of life improves, the level of environmental standards expected by the people has become higher. Accordingly, there has been an increase in etiquette education in public facilities such as subways and movie theaters, and the government is making great efforts to improve the environment, such as implementing policies to improve water quality and air quality. However, education on improving the environment in residential environments is not being properly conducted, and the problem of noise between floors is at the center of this. In addition, to resolve the problem of noise between floors, the government has implemented the “Neighbors Service” to provide expert telephone counseling and on-site noise measurement services to encourage mutual understanding and dispute resolution between the parties, and has established the “Environmental Dispute Mediation Committee” to resolve environmental disputes quickly and fairly. However, due to insufficient publicity, the public is not making proper use of these services. To solve this problem, education and publicity must be provided from schools and society. Schools should provide education on the importance of a pleasant living environment and on the etiquette of living in an apartment complex. In addition, public service announcements should be made about noise between floors and experience programs should be conducted to raise awareness of how much noise between floors can harm others and how to reduce the noise. And we need to widely publicize the Neighbors’ Service, the Environmental Dispute Mediation Committee, and the laws and regulations related to the problem of noise from floors above to people. This is because they should also be familiar with the solutions to disputes so that the parties can resolve them peacefully.
In the previous section, I looked at the government’s solutions to the problem and the solutions to the problem of noise from floors above, which I believe to be the solution to the problem. However, I believe that the most fundamental solution to the problem of noise between floors is a change in our perception. We need to spread a culture of mutual consideration among neighbors. Although Korea has developed a lot, individualism has gradually spread, and the relationship between neighbors in apartment complexes has become estranged to the point that the phrase “neighbors next door” is meaningless. As neighbors are unable to form close relationships with one another, they may think that their neighbors will not mind if they make noise that could cause damage to their neighbors. Also, even if a dispute arises due to noise between floors, they are unable to find a common ground. Therefore, in order to solve the problem of noise between floors, we must have a sense of community where we consider not only ourselves but also others. This is not a difficult task. We can start by taking small actions. When you move into a new apartment complex, it is very helpful to maintain a close relationship with your neighbors by visiting your upstairs, downstairs, and next-door neighbors to say hello, asking your downstairs neighbors for permission in advance if you plan to have a lot of people over, and sharing food with your neighbors when you have bought a lot of food. Also, you should always keep in mind that you could be a victim or a perpetrator, and be more considerate of your neighbors.
We have looked at the government’s problems with resolving floor noise and fundamental solutions to solve it. The government has not established any laws regarding floor noise, and the newly established rules have many problems, and the government has not properly implemented education and publicity on floor noise, so the problem of floor noise has continued to occur. Therefore, I would like to propose a fundamental way to spread a culture of mutual consideration among neighbors, keeping in mind that we can become victims or perpetrators at any time. Now, more than ever, a pleasant living environment is important, and floor noise is a major problem that must be addressed. I hope that the government, experts, and the general public will work together to reduce floor noise and take another step toward making Korea a developed country.
