Korean Job Discussion Forums

tfunk · Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Location: Dublin, Ireland

My neighbour has been hammering and chisselling away in his apartment for over a week now. He starts the work at approx. 7:30am The walls are thin and I can't sleep.

If he was carrying out this work at 3:00am then I imagine my protests would have some weight with the police but where is the line drawn? 7:30 seems like a reasonable hour for the waking day to begin (not for me - I start work at 3pm).

Is there a legal period for sleeping when noise pollution should be kept at a minimum?

Shocked

I'm seriously considering staying in tonight (Saturday) if I'm going to be woken on Sunday morning bright.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Take solace in that he will be done eventually. A guy with 4 yappy dogs who comes home drunk every night at 3 am and lights up the yappy dogs is forever.

gsxr750r · Joined: 29 Jan 2007

In this country, you won't receive an ounce of help.

No kidding.

If you hate it enough, try to move.

Yes, it's stupid, but it's Korea.

Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat · Joined: 01 Apr 2007

Get some earplugs. Use them.

tfunk · Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Location: Dublin, Ireland

I find earplugs next to useless for loud sounds.

Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat · Joined: 01 Apr 2007

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

Ever since I had my first roomate in Korea I've been wearing earplugs, when I sleep, AND those sound muffling headphones airport workers wear to cut out the noise of jet engines (my roomate farted loudly). Also called shooter's earmuffs. You can get them in any construction safety equipment shopfront at the tool sales street in a city. Can't hear a thing, and who wants to when you're sleeping? Put a deadbolt on the door with one of those, unpickable, clyindrical key taking locks, and snore away in sweet slumber. I wish I could wear them to work, too, so I could sleep standing up and with my mouth moving, teaching English.

Dev · Joined: 18 Apr 2006

I have the opposite problem. I have to get up early for work, but my neighbors and all the drunks on the streets make noise at 11 pm, 12 am and so on. Believe it or not, I'd love to be asleep by 10 pm and get up at 6, so I could get some exercise before going to work, but that's pretty much impossible.

I've tried ear plugs, but you're right. They don't get the job done perfectly. So, we're both hostages to other people's noise. I've just finally accepted that Korea's a noisy country plain and simple.

There appear to be no noise laws in this country. I hear fruit trucks with loud speakers near my apartment at 11:30 pm.

Please tell me if I'm worng, but Korea, or Seoul at least, is a noisier place at night than in the daytime. At least it feels this way.

nonsmoker · Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Location: Terra

Go to bed earlier, wake up earlier. 7:30 is a reasonable time to begin work for most people.

tfunk · Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Location: Dublin, Ireland

sodabread · Joined: 30 Dec 2006

you could try talking to the apartment manager.

the eye · Joined: 29 Jan 2004

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

Hire the eye. He is the eye in the sky. Looking at you. Yes. He can read your mind. He will send his eye waves to you neighbor and bring down their noisiness with his eye waviness. Yes. He is the eye in the sky. Looking at youoooooooooooooo. He can cheat you blind.

Cus I don't wanna blah anymore because you know that

He can read your mind
He can read your mind
He can read your mind

Fresh Prince · Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: The glorious nation of Korea

Where I'm at people are noisy constantly. It's something I've had to learn to get used to and tune out but pounding on your wall is different.

Why not knock on the guy's door and ask him to stop. If you don't speak Korean just use gestures to describe the problem. If he stops then great, if he doesn't stop then return the favor.

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

Yes, get earpluugs and use them for sleeping. But, even when I am awake, my neighbors get on my nerves. They are middle-aged and they sure can make the noise. They get out in the hallway and blabber, and their ugly voices echo. If they want to blabber all day, why don't they go inside and shut the door or go to a coffee shop or hof? Why must they stand right outside my door and blabber??? They also like to go in and out all day long. I have to hear hem do this all day on saturday before I head out in the evening. Weirdos. The lady that lives there always has to announce loudly that she has came back home, when she comes home in the evenings. Honestly, I don't care that she is back home. Get your butt inside, close the door, and announce it all you want. I'd expect this from 20s/30s aged people, not middle aged people. Darn! They are louder than teens!