[2020 National Audit] Poor Post-Management of Emission Reduction Devices for Old Diesel Vehicles... Subsidies Wasted

Nowungrae: "If Management Obligations Are Not Complied With... Benefits Should Be Excluded"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] It has been pointed out that the diesel particulate filters (DPFs) installed on 180,000 old diesel vehicles are wasting public funds due to poor post-management such as failure to undergo performance inspections, while air pollution is worsening.

According to the office of Rep. Noh Woong-rae of the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee on the 14th, the Ministry of Environment has installed DPFs on 180,000 old diesel vehicles from 2015 to August 2020, with a budget of 386.6 billion KRW invested.

Article 60-2, Paragraph 1 of the Air Environment Conservation Act stipulates that vehicles equipped with DPFs must undergo performance inspections. However, since there are no separate penalties for non-compliance, 27.9% of vehicles are operating without performance inspections. Additionally, 20% of vehicles that have not undergone performance inspections after DPF installation emit exhaust gases below performance standards.

Rep. Noh said, “The budget for supporting DPF installation has increased fourfold from 32 billion KRW in 2015 to 132.2 billion KRW as of August 2020, but no post-management has been conducted, resulting in wasted funds.” He added, “If owners fail to comply with management obligations such as missing performance maintenance inspections or not performing cleaning, benefits previously granted, such as exemption from environmental improvement charges, exemption from detailed investigations, and exemption from driving restrictions, should be excluded.”

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