"Cancellation and Refund of Fines for Low-Emission Measures on Restricted Operation Enforcement Vehicles"

Cancellation of Low Emission Measure Penalty Imposition Until November This Year...Concerns Over Last-Minute Application Congestion

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has urged vehicle owners to complete their applications for low-emission measures targeting Grade 5 vehicles by the end of August to reduce fine dust. Seoul plans to cancel fines and issue refunds for those who complete the low-emission measures.

According to Seoul on the 11th, since the low-emission measures require more than two months from application to installation of reduction devices or scrapping and registration in the vehicle management system, applications must be completed by August to finish the measures by November 30 and be exempt from fines.

From December last year to March this year, during the four-month seasonal management driving restriction period, Seoul imposed fines of 100,000 KRW per day on 28,911 Grade 5 emission vehicles caught violating the restrictions, totaling 112,222 cases. Among these, fines for 54,044 cases (48%) where low-emission measures were completed have been canceled. Refunds are currently being processed for 3,321 cases where fines were paid.

Seoul explained, "After completion of low-emission measures, vehicle owners do not need to submit separate proof documents, as fines are canceled daily through verification in the vehicle management system." They added, "For owners who have paid fines, bankbook copy submission requests and guidance messages are sent immediately to expedite refunds."

Meanwhile, among the 28,911 Grade 5 vehicles caught, 13,557 (46.9%) have implemented low-emission measures such as DPF installation or early scrapping after being caught. Of the 15,354 vehicles that have not yet taken low-emission measures, 9,404 (61.2%) have applied for the measures with the relevant city or province. Seoul continues to provide monthly guidance on how to apply for low-emission measures and the cancellation of fines upon completion to owners who have not yet applied.

Lee Sa-hyung, Director of Vehicle Pollution Reduction Division at Seoul City, said, “We hope vehicle owners complete the low-emission measures promptly and receive exemption from seasonal management driving restriction fines,” and urged, “Please complete your application for low-emission measures by the end of August.”

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