A Camp Set Up Right by the Road... How Far Will the 'Minpae Camping Car' Go?

After Blocking One Side of a Two-Lane Road, Connected to Jeongja
"Using Public Facilities Like Private Property... Absurd"
Cases of Occupying Public Parking Lots and Stealing Water from Restrooms

As the camping population reaches 5 million, the camping market is experiencing a boom, but some campers' inconsiderate behavior that causes frowns is repeatedly occurring.

On the 26th, a post titled 'Camping Car I Saw Yesterday' was uploaded on an online community, BobaeDream. The author, Mr. A, shared photos he took himself, saying, "Whether it was because he envied the pavilion or wanted to see the water, even though there was an open space across the road, he parked on the road and even set up an awning."

On the 26th, an online community BobaeDream posted an article titled "The Camper Van I Saw Yesterday." [Photo source=Online community 'BobaeDream']

Looking at the photos, a camping car is parked on a two-lane road, blocking one lane, with an awning (sunshade) installed facing the pavilion on the right. Because of the camping car blocking the road, other vehicles have to cross the center line to pass.

He said, "I also go camping, but I think people like this are the reason we get criticized," adding, "I'm thinking about quitting camping." Netizens who saw the photos reacted strongly, saying things like "Selfish," "How can they play when it's unsafe to park on the road," "There are all kinds of troublemakers," and "They try to treat public facilities like private property."

According to the 2021 Camping User Survey, the number of people enjoying camping has exceeded 5 million annually since 2020. The number of campers steadily increases from April, when the weather becomes mild, to August, the summer vacation season, with May being the busiest month in spring.

Stories of Camping Car Nuisances Consistently Posted on Online Communities

On the 24th, a temporary parking lot set up by the Daegu Dalseo District Office for residents' convenience was shown filled with camping cars and caravans, sparking controversy. The district office stated that they have received 20 to 30 complaints about the parking lot so far but have no regulations to enforce penalties.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Stories of camping car nuisances are consistently being posted on online communities.

On the 8th, a photo showing a camping car parked in a public parking lot stealing water from a public restroom was shared, drawing criticism from netizens. It was reported that they connected the restroom sink to the vehicle with a hose and ran the water for over 30 minutes to fill the camping car's water tank.

On the 24th, a photo showing camping cars and caravans densely parked in a temporary parking lot set up by Daegu Dalseo-gu Office for residents' convenience sparked controversy. The district office said they have received 20 to 30 complaints about the parking lot but have no regulations to enforce penalties.

Under the Automobile Management Act, camping cars classified as automobiles cannot be regulated for parking in public parking lots, and under the Parking Lot Act, there is no legal basis for cracking down on long-term parking, making it difficult to address the issue.

Meanwhile, on the 20th, the government began enforcement after the Cabinet passed a revision to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Use and Management of Beaches, allowing the removal of tents or camping facilities installed for extended periods at beaches.

However, unlike beaches where legal grounds have been established, camping sites are not subject to this, so the problem of "reservation camping" tents is expected to continue.

On the other hand, as in previous cases, if a camping car illegally occupies a road, it can be punished under the Road Act. According to Articles 61 and 75 of the Road Act, permission from the road management authority is required to occupy the road with structures or objects. It is prohibited to place obstacles without justifiable reasons or to interfere with the structure or traffic. Violations can result in fines of 100,000 KRW per square meter, up to a maximum of 1.5 million KRW.

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