Yangcheon-gu Eases Hearing and Psychological Support Criteria for Residents Affected by Airport Noise

Recruitment of 500 Residents for Hearing Tests and 150 for Psychological Counseling in Airport Noise Control Areas (Including Nearby Areas) Starting March 11
Hearing Tests: Residency Requirement Relaxed from 5 to 3 Years, Secondary Detailed Hearing Test Conducted if Abnormalities Found in Initial Screening
Psychological Counseling: Residency Requirement Removed to Broaden Support, Customized Services Including 1:1 and Family Counseling Provided Up to 8 Sessions

Yangcheon-gu (District Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced that it will expand the “Hearing (Detailed) Test and Psychological Counseling Support Project” to enhance practical health and welfare that residents in airport noise-affected areas can feel, recruiting a total of 650 residents (500 for hearing tests, 150 for psychological counseling) starting from March 11.

Previously, the district proactively introduced the “Hearing Test and Psychological Counseling Support Project,” a specialized health and welfare project for residents in airport noise-affected areas, for the first time nationwide last year.

In the case of hearing tests, among 725 applicants last year, 69 showed abnormal findings, and as a result of the second detailed examination, 45 applied for registration of hearing disability eligible for government support such as hearing aids.

Additionally, the district supported psychological counseling for 169 residents in the affected areas to help restore mental health.

This year, the hearing test support targets 500 residents who have lived for more than three years as of the application date in the Yangcheon-gu airport noise countermeasure area (including nearby areas) and show signs of hearing impairment.

In particular, the residency requirement was relaxed from five years to three years to broaden the scope of support. Once selected, applicants can make a prior reservation and undergo testing at one of the 25 medical institutions that have signed a business agreement with the district, according to their preference at the time of application.

The hearing (detailed) test support items include pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry, and impedance audiometry. After the first basic hearing test, if abnormal findings are detected, a second detailed hearing test will be conducted.

Furthermore, the district will expand the “Customized Professional Psychological Counseling Support Project” for residents suffering from stress, depression, anxiety, and other difficulties caused by aircraft noise.

The support target is 150 residents living in the airport noise countermeasure area (including nearby areas), and the residency requirement, which was previously five years, has been completely abolished so that anyone living in the area can apply.

Psychological counseling consists of one pre-assessment session (90 minutes) and seven customized counseling sessions (50 minutes each) reflecting the needs of the participants, totaling eight sessions. Selected participants can receive one-on-one individual counseling once a week.

Counseling is conducted by counselors who hold certifications from the Korean Counseling Psychological Association, Korean Counseling Association, Korean Clinical Psychology Association, or the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Mental Health Specialist), with a master’s degree or higher in a related field and more than four years of experience.

Participants can choose the counseling location between their preferred counseling center and the counseling room within the Airport Noise Countermeasure Comprehensive Support Center. The district also plans to provide “visiting counseling services” to schools, homes, and local children’s centers for residents who have difficulty visiting due to mobility issues.

While one-on-one individual counseling is the principle, reflecting the fact that many students and housewives who complained of family and childcare issues participated last year, couple, family, and group counseling will be conducted concurrently if necessary starting this year. Couple, family, and group counseling are possible only if all members are selected, with session durations of 70 minutes for couples counseling, 90 minutes for family counseling, and 120 minutes for group counseling.

In addition, customized counseling services using play, art, and cognitive therapy will be provided.

Residents wishing to apply for hearing (detailed) tests and psychological counseling can visit their local community service center or the Yangcheon-gu Airport Noise Countermeasure Comprehensive Support Center on a first-come, first-served basis starting March 11.

Lee Gi-jae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, stated, “We have greatly relaxed the support requirements starting this year for the health and welfare support project for airport noise-affected areas, which we proactively introduced with the mindset of starting with what we can do ourselves. We hope for much interest and applications, and we will continue to pursue practical and reasonable compensation measures that residents can truly feel.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.