[News Today] NOISE DISRUPT NEAR-BORDER LIFE

[LEAD]
Meanwhile, in response to North Korea's continued provocations, the South Korean military has resumed audio broadcasts. In turn, North Korea has also initiated its own broadcasts southward. But as this continues for over 4 months, border residents are suffering from insomnia and physical ailments. Here's more.

[REPORT]
The village in the West Sea about 1.7 kilometers from North Korea.

Eerie sounds echo around the seemingly peaceful village all day long.
It's the North Korean broadcast aimed toward the South that began four months ago.

Park Hye-suk/ Dangsan-ri resident
The worst sound is the sound of metal grinding. The harsh, screeching noise.

From creepy sounds to ghostly howls, residents are suffering from sleeping disorders and even getting physically ill.

Kim Wan-sik/ Dangsan-ri resident
I can't hear the TV. We were tested for stress and all of us were found to be lacking sleep.

The noise level was measured.

"I can hear it."

The noise registered roughly 70 decibels, about the same level as a busy expressway.

In the face of this unbearable noise, resident Ahn Mi-hee's eight-year-old daughter wrote a letter to the president saying that she's scared and having a hard time.

Ahn Mi-hee/ Dangsan-ri resident
She dozes off at school. Even criminals get to sleep. Our living conditions are worse than theirs'.

Residents have asked for soundproof windows so that at the very least, they can rest at home but this request is difficult to meet.

Incheon City gov't official / (VOICE MODIFIED)
We need clear legal basis for assistance in individual laws. The issue will be mentioned to the interior ministry.

The tourist spots popular for an observatory providing a view of North Korea and underground tunnel experiences have seen a noticeable drop in the number of visitors.

Cancellations have become more frequent for this guesthouse once bustling with students on field trips and foreign tourists.

Yun Seol-hyeon/ Munsan-eup resident
The rooms were once booked with locals, foreign visitors. Now people ask, 'How are you doing when there's trash balloons?'

The South Korean military is left with no other options than to continue with its near-border broadcast toward the North as long as North Korea keeps sending trash-filled balloons.

Nevertheless, the military is closely monitoring the damages suffered by the residents and willing to cooperate fully with related agencies to come up with countermeasures.

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