School Sports Days Shrinking Due to Noise Complaints: National Police Agency Directs Officers to Refrain from Dispatch

350 Playground Noise Complaints Last Year
Police Dispatched to the Scene in 345 Cases

The National Police Agency has issued a directive to all provincial and metropolitan police agencies nationwide to refrain as much as possible from dispatching officers in response to simple 112 calls regarding noise from school sports days.

According to Yonhap News Agency on May 16, the National Police Agency recently sent out a work order to all provincial and metropolitan police agencies instructing them to "minimize on-site dispatches for simple noise complaints related to elementary, middle, and high school sports days."

This measure appears to reflect concerns that the culture of sports days, which are festivals for students, is being undermined as cases of 112 calls and civil complaints about noise from school playgrounds have increased recently.

Elementary School Sports Day. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

In fact, a total of 350 reports related to playground noise were received via 112 last year, and police were dispatched to the scene in 345 of those cases. This figure includes not only school sports days but also noise complaints about events held by external organizations such as alumni associations at school playgrounds.

Recently, it is reported that police have closed a significant number of sports day noise complaints by providing civil guidance rather than dispatching officers to the scene. However, when the same complaint was received repeatedly, police did go to the site to check the situation.

A police official explained, "There were criticisms that the response to sports day noise complaints varied from site to site," adding, "The purpose is to establish consistent response standards and reduce confusion among frontline officers."

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