From December this year, Seoul citywide driving restrictions on Grade 5 vehicles... Pilot operation until the end of this month

Seoul City and City Council Immediately Begin Ordinance Amendment Approval Process

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Starting this December, the operation of Grade 5 emission vehicles will be restricted throughout Seoul. Violators will be fined 100,000 KRW.

Seoul City announced on the 15th that following the passage of the "Special Act on the Reduction and Management of Fine Dust" amendment at the National Assembly plenary session on the 6th, it has immediately begun the approval process for the amendment to the "Seoul City Ordinance on the Reduction and Management of Fine Dust."

The amended ordinance specifies ▲the high-concentration fine dust intensive management period from December 1 to March 31, ▲strengthened management of fine dust-emitting workplaces, and ▲more stringent measures including restrictions on the use of parking lots by public and administrative institutions. After plenary approval, it is scheduled to be promulgated and enforced immediately within this month.

Previously, Seoul City was the first local government to introduce the "Seasonal Fine Dust Management System" in November last year and proactively implemented measures that could be enforced without legal amendments, such as ▲a two-day vehicle operation system for administrative and public vehicles of the city, autonomous districts, and affiliated organizations ▲a 50% surcharge on parking fees for Grade 5 vehicles in city-operated parking lots ▲and special Eco Mileage points.

However, the continuous operation restriction on Grade 5 vehicles, which required legal amendments, was not implemented. With the enforcement of the amended ordinance, a pilot operation is planned for the remaining period until March.

Accordingly, from December to March every year, on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., all Grade 5 vehicles without diesel particulate filters will be restricted from operating within Seoul. From January 1 next year, a fine of 100,000 KRW will be imposed for violations.

However, emergency vehicles and vehicles for the disabled are exempt from enforcement, and vehicle models for which diesel particulate filters have not been developed will be temporarily exempt from enforcement until the end of this year. In addition, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province are also preparing institutional foundations for operation restrictions and plan to jointly enforce restrictions and enforcement throughout the metropolitan area starting in December.

Meanwhile, Seoul City will significantly expand "low-emission projects" such as early scrapping and diesel particulate filter (DPF) installation for Grade 5 vehicles along with the strengthened operation restrictions. The goal is to support a total of approximately 80,000 vehicles this year, including 60,000 early scrapping subsidies and 20,000 DPF installations.

In particular, the early scrapping subsidy will be increased from a maximum of 1.65 million KRW last year to up to 3 million KRW this year, and for vehicles without developed diesel particulate filters, an additional subsidy of up to 2.5 million KRW will be provided when purchasing a low-emission vehicle after early scrapping.

Jung Soo-yong, head of Seoul City's Climate and Environment Headquarters, said, "With the passage of the Special Act on Fine Dust and the completion of the ordinance amendment, the legal basis for the core measure of the seasonal management system, the operation restriction on Grade 5 vehicles, will be established," and urged, "Owners of Grade 5 vehicles should complete low-emission measures by December and participate in reducing fine dust."

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