A Fine of 10 Million KRW Imposed for Inadequate Maintenance and Repair of Private Toll Roads

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to Enforce 'Toll Road Act' Amendment from the 23rd
Strengthening Obligations for Private Road Maintenance and Implementation Plan Establishment

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 22nd that the Paid Road Act, which requires private road operators to faithfully establish a 5-year maintenance plan and a 1-year implementation plan for systematic management of private roads, will be revised and enforced starting from the 23rd.

This revision comes in response to criticisms that although the Paid Road Act is currently enforced to strengthen the management and supervision system of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the paid road management authorities over private roads and private road operators, there are weak grounds for establishing road maintenance plans and penalties for violations even if private road operators make insufficient efforts in repair and maintenance of private roads.

Paid roads that collect tolls are classified into fiscal roads and private roads depending on the promotion method. In particular, the proportion of private roads among paid roads (19 private expressways + 31 local government private roads) has increased from 13% (490 km) in 2009 to 20% (999 km) in 2020, highlighting the growing importance of systematic management of private roads.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport revised the Paid Road Act to present principles regarding road management and established an institutional basis to impose fines of up to 10 million won if plans are not established or implemented.

Juhyun Jong, Director of the Road Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport continuously strives to ensure that the public can use roads safely and comfortably by conducting year-round, occasional, or unscheduled operational evaluations of private expressways," adding, "We will continue to provide maximum support so that 5-year mid-term plans and 1-year short-term plans for maintenance, management, and repair of private roads are faithfully established."

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