Operation of old diesel vehicles restricted from December to March... 100,000 KRW fine for violations

Amendment to the Special Act on Fine Dust Passes Cabinet Meeting on the 24th
Provincial Governors to Prevent Operation of Old Vehicles through Ordinance Revisions
"Expecting Promotion of Region-Specific Fine Dust Reduction Measures"

Asia Economy DB=Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Legal grounds have been established to enforce restrictions on the operation of old diesel vehicles during the fine dust seasonal management period. A fine of 100,000 KRW will be imposed for violating vehicle operation restrictions.

The Ministry of Environment announced on the 24th that the amendment to the "Special Act on the Reduction and Management of Fine Dust" was approved at the Cabinet meeting and will be promulgated and enforced within this month.

This amendment legalizes the seasonal management system implemented from December to March, when high concentrations of fine dust frequently occur, and will be fully applied from December this year, the next seasonal management period.

The revised enforcement decree added provincial governors as implementing authorities of the seasonal management system, in addition to the existing Minister of Environment.

Under the current law, the Minister of Environment can only request heads of related central administrative agencies and local government heads to take measures such as adjusting the operating rate of air pollutant emission facilities when fine dust reduction measures are needed, which limited the effectiveness of countermeasures.

Going forward, provincial governors will also have the authority to implement the seasonal management system, allowing them to take response measures tailored to regional conditions and circumstances during periods of high fine dust concentration.

On the 14th, when the fine dust emergency reduction measures were implemented, a public official is monitoring the aged diesel vehicle crackdown system at the Vehicle Pollution Reduction Division Situation Room in Seosomun Annex, Seoul City Hall, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Additionally, provincial governors will be able to implement various reduction measures such as restricting the operation of old vehicles during the seasonal management period through ordinance amendments. It is expected that region-specific customized measures can be promoted.

Measures that provincial governors can take include ▲ restricting vehicle operation ▲ changing or adjusting construction site working hours ▲ operating water spraying trucks and vacuum cleaning trucks ▲ restricting the use of public parking lots ▲ monitoring fine dust measurement and analysis as well as illegal or excessive emissions ▲ collecting, storing, transporting, and disposing of agricultural residue, among others.

In particular, a fine of 100,000 KRW will be imposed for violating vehicle operation restrictions. However, duplicate fines are prohibited. If both fine dust seasonal management measures and emergency reduction measures are violated simultaneously, or if each measure is violated more than twice in one day, only one fine will be imposed. For violations of measures other than vehicle operation restrictions, fines of up to 2 million KRW will be imposed depending on the number of violations.

Furthermore, the scope of measures that the Minister of Environment can request from heads of related central administrative agencies and local government heads will also be expanded.

Under the current law, the Minister of Environment can request ▲ adjustment of operating rates and operating hours of air pollutant emission facilities ▲ improvement of efficiency of air pollution prevention facilities ▲ reduction and management of fugitive dust emissions from workplaces.

Added to this are fuel switching, speed restrictions, or operation restrictions on ships owned by central administrative agencies, local governments, or public institutions, enabling stronger reduction measures than before.

Geum Han-seung, Director of Air Environment Policy at the Ministry of Environment, stated, "We plan to successfully complete the seasonal management system, which was introduced and implemented for the first time last December, by the end of March, analyze the implementation results, gather opinions from experts and related agencies, and supplement any shortcomings."

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