Noise complaints surged more than 60 percent last year, as people spent more time at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a state environment promotion agency said.

The Korea Environment Corp. said its hotline dedicated to the matter received 42,250 complaints last year, a 60.9 percent year-on-year increase.

There were 12,139 requests for on-site inspections to determine the level of noise, a 52.3 percent increase from 7,971 requests in 2019. (Yonhap)