“Complete Ban on Parking and Stopping ‘Minsik Law’ Approaches!” Changwon City Promotes Full Ban in Child Protection Zones

Poster Announcing the Complete Prohibition of Parking and Stopping in the Children's Protection Zone in Changwon-si, Gyeongnam.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Changwon City, Gyeongnam Province, has decided to promote the legal amendment to prevent excessive penalties for illegal parking and stopping due to the complete ban on parking and stopping in school zones starting from the 21st.

According to the city on the 12th, following the 2019 amendment to the Road Traffic Act (known as the 'Min-sik Act'), the fine for illegal parking and stopping in school zones was increased to 120,000 KRW from May, and from the 21st, parking and stopping in school zones will be completely prohibited.

Previously, parking and stopping were only prohibited in designated areas within school zones, but from the 21st, in principle, according to Article 32, Clause 8 of the Road Traffic Act, drivers are not allowed to park or stop within school zones.

As an exception, according to Article 34-2, Paragraph 2 of the Road Traffic Act, parking and stopping are permitted in areas designated by the city or provincial police agency chief with safety signs specifying the zone, time, method, and type of vehicle.

To minimize inconvenience to citizens, based on relevant laws, the city plans to pilot operate time-specific parking zones from 8 PM to 8 AM the next day, excluding peak student commuting hours, allowing parking during these times.

The pilot operation areas will be applied first in a total of nine locations, including the four existing sites in Uichang-gu, selected after an on-site survey in school zones in front of schools last July, with one or two additional sites added according to the characteristics of each zone. The city plans to gradually expand based on the pilot results.

Kim Sang-woon, Director of the Safety, Construction, and Transportation Bureau, said, "Ensuring the safety of children in school zones is the top priority, and at the same time, we will do our best to alleviate citizens' parking inconveniences through the pilot operation of time-specific parking zones."

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