SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- About three-quarters of urban residential areas in South Korea suffer from nighttime noise pollution that surpasses government-imposed regulations, the loudest being the capital city of Seoul, a survey by the Environment Ministry said Friday.
The survey conducted in 2010 showed that 33, or 75 percent, of South Korea's total tally of 44 cities showed nighttime noise levels in wayside residential areas surpassing the government's regulatory ceiling of 55 decibels.
During daytime, 41 percent of the tallied cities showed residential area noise pollution worse than 65 decibels, the regulatory guideline, the report said.
The ministry's report examined noise levels at 1,766 spots across 44 major cities as well as 90 sites around 14 local airports and 35 spots around railroads.
On average, the 44 cities' residential areas had 64 decibels of noise during daytime and 59 decibels during nighttime, according to the report.
Seoul was found to be the noisiest city at night, along with Gimpo neighboring a domestically oriented airport, it said. Mokpo, a city 410 kilometers south of Seoul, was the quietest place.
Meanwhile, 93 percent of those cities' commercial areas were quieter than the regulatory ceiling, but only 42 percent met the guidance at night, according to the survey.
The environment ministry said it plans to revise regulations on the construction of soundproof walls by September in order to step up its control of noise pollution.