Importing Vehicles Without Modification Certification... Mercedes-Benz Korea Fined Over 2 Billion Won

Mercedes-Benz Korea was fined over 2 billion KRW in the first trial for importing more than 5,000 vehicles without obtaining certification from the Ministry of Environment after replacing emission parts.

On the morning of the 19th at 10 a.m., the Criminal Division 25-3 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Ji Gui-yeon, Park Jeong-gil, Park Jeong-je) sentenced Mercedes-Benz Korea to a fine of 2,067.2 million KRW on charges including violation of the Air Quality Preservation Act and Customs Act.

On this day, the court found all charges against Mercedes-Benz Korea to be guilty and set the fine at 400,000 KRW per vehicle. The court stated, "Mercedes-Benz Korea neglected its obligation to comply with the laws of the Republic of Korea while conducting business, and it appears that the actual gains obtained from this were not insignificant," adding, "There are many vehicles imported illegally, and there is a considerable risk of harm to the health of the general public and the environment."

Mercedes-Benz Korea has been on trial for illegally importing a total of over 5,100 vehicles of six models from 2017 to 2018 after changing the software of the emission reduction device at the end of 2016 without obtaining modification certification from the Ministry of Environment. Modification certification is a procedure that requires government approval to prevent excessive emission of pollutants, and without it, vehicles cannot be imported or sold.

The software changed by Mercedes-Benz Korea was found to control the amount of urea injection used in the SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system, an emission reduction device. Urea is used to reduce nitrogen oxides, toxic gases emitted by diesel vehicles, so if the amount of urea injection decreases, nitrogen oxide emissions increase.

Previously, German luxury car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz, Audi Volkswagen, and BMW caused a global stir in 2015 due to the so-called "Dieselgate" (emission manipulation) controversy.

The Supreme Court of Korea confirmed a fine of over 2.7 billion KRW against Mercedes-Benz Korea in 2019 for importing more than 7,000 vehicles equipped with emission-related parts without modification certification. At that time, Kim, an employee responsible for certification (43), who was also indicted, received a confirmed sentence of eight months in prison with a two-year probation.

In 2020, the Ministry of Environment imposed a penalty of 77.6 billion KRW on Mercedes-Benz Korea for illegally manipulating emissions in diesel vehicles sold domestically, and the Fair Trade Commission imposed a fine of 20.2 billion KRW last year on Mercedes-Benz for falsely advertising the performance of emission reduction devices in diesel vehicles.

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