Police instruct officers not to respond to most noise complaints from school sports events

The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) has instructed officers to refrain from responding to most emergency police calls over noise complaints from school athletic events, in an effort to reduce unnecessary field dispatches. 

The KNPA recently issued guidance to provincial police offices nationwide instructing officers to avoid dispatching units for minor noise complaints linked to elementary, middle and high school sports days, according to Yonhap News Agency on Saturday. 

The move comes as complaints and emergency police calls over schoolyard noise have increased in recent years, with critics saying repeated reports have discouraged schools from holding sports events.

Police responded to 345 of 350 noise-related schoolyard calls last year, including cases involving alumni events and other external gatherings. 

Police have recently resolved many of these cases without sending officers to the scene, instead providing guidance to complainants. Officers only visited sites in cases of repeated complaints.

A police official said the new instruction is intended to standardize responses and reduce confusion among officers.

Public debate intensified last month after photos circulated online showing a wall outside an elementary school in Seongnam, Gyeonggi filled with handwritten posters apologizing in advance for noise from a school athletic event. 

“I heard that elementary schools receive many noise complaints during athletic events these days,” one resident who took the photos said. “I went for a walk and saw these posters covering the school wall. It felt strange. I felt sorry as an adult.” 

The posters included messages such as “We apologize in advance for possible noise during the sports day” and “We ask for your understanding,” written by students with drawings and notes.

The images sparked criticism that children should not be placed in a position where they must apologize in advance for school events.

“Children did nothing wrong, so they should not have to apologize first,” people online said. “It is excessive to file complaints over an event that happens once a year.” 

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY JANG GU-SEUL [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]