Gyeonggi-do Still Finds 'Improper Use' of Disabled Parking Permits... 920 Cases Detected

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] It has been confirmed that about 20% of the 'Disabled Parking Permits' issued by various cities and counties in Gyeonggi-do are being used inappropriately.

According to Gyeonggi-do on the 15th, a full survey of 4,601 'Institutional (Type D) Disabled Parking Permits' issued to welfare facilities for the disabled or elderly revealed 920 vehicles (about 20% of the total) with improper management, such as failure to return permits despite vehicle ownership changes or facility closures.

This is the first full survey of institutional disabled parking permits. The province has collected, destroyed, or invalidated all improperly managed parking permits.

The disabled parking permit is a tag attached to the front windshield of a vehicle to support the use of exclusive parking spaces for disabled persons and to provide discounts on parking fees and tolls.

Generally, cities and counties issue permits to vehicles registered under the name of the disabled person or their family. However, for related institutions such as welfare facilities or organizations for the disabled, elderly medical welfare facilities, and others under the Disabled Welfare Act or Elderly Welfare Act, an 'Institutional (Type D) Disabled Parking Permit' is issued under the name of the corporation or its representative. There are no restrictions on vehicle types, including imported cars.

However, if a vehicle is parked in a disabled-only parking space without a disabled passenger present, it is subject to a fine of 100,000 KRW, like other general vehicles.

The province first investigated the management status of parking permits due to limitations in on-site detection of whether a disabled person is riding. As a result, out of 4,601 vehicles, 920 had their permits collected, destroyed, or invalidated in the system due to reasons such as vehicle sales, scrapping, owner resignation, or facility closure.

The province also uncovered cases of private use of institutional disabled vehicles (3 cases) and use of sponsorship funds for fuel expenses (7 cases) during this investigation.

Since there are limits to continuous monitoring by cities and counties after issuing permits, the province has recommended to the Ministry of Health and Welfare to strengthen the issuance criteria for institutional (Type D) disabled parking permits during this investigation process.

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