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Schools are currently in full swing with sports days and festivals. However, unlike the past when local residents used to freely join in these events, students and schools today find themselves walking on eggshells around residents due to noise complaints.

Reporter Jeong Banseok went out to investigate.

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A middle school in Incheon was preparing for a festival with the local community.

After putting up posters around the neighborhood asking for advance understanding regarding noise, complaints were filed with the Office of Education.

The complaints stated that residents had suffered from noise damage in the past and asked who had authorized the use of the school playground.

Most of the 50 posters were torn down by someone.

[Kim Mo-si / Convenience Store Owner Near the School: The school asked if they could put up flyers here, and I said go ahead. But after about two days, they were gone. People must have moved here knowing there is a school, and I don't think it's right that they can't understand just two hours out of the year.]

The school stated it would turn the stage to face away from the residential area, but a second complaint followed, asking whether a noise impact assessment had been conducted.

The festival was held with much difficulty, and the school measured the noise every 30 minutes, trying to keep it below 60 decibels.

[Sung Gi-shin / Principal of Incheon Dongam Middle School: The students prepared so hard, and it would make no sense for a single complaint to prevent them from presenting what they have practiced and worked on.]

Police reports regarding noise from school playgrounds, such as sports days, reached 350 cases last year, a fivefold increase in seven years.

In some cases, elementary school students have had to apologize to nearby residents.

[An elementary school last year (Source: Instagram super_tiger_): We are sorry! We will play just a little bit today!]

Some schools even send out official cooperation notices in advance.

[Kim Yong-sun / Parent at Seoul Seobingo Elementary School: (The children) talk about how it's pitiful for friends who can't have a sports day. They say they love this school so much and that they're glad they can have a sports day...]

[Yeom Yul / Student at Seoul Seobingo Elementary School: When adults were young, they played and had fun with friends during sports days and built memories, so I hope they can let us children experience that too...]

Under current laws, the voices and cheers of children do not legally constitute "noise," and police are refraining from dispatching officers to noise reports regarding sports days.

While excessive use of loudspeakers during festivals can sometimes cause inconvenience,

a social consensus within the local community seems necessary so that students can build memories.

(Video reporting: Shin Jin-soo, Video editing: Yoon Tae-ho, VJ: Shin So-young, Design: Kang Yoon-jung)