Posted Photo of Violation in Disabled Parking Zone with Threat: "Will Penalize if Reported"

Illegal Parking in Disabled-Only Parking Zone Post Raised
Representative Mentions Limited Parking, Asking Not to Report
Netizens Outraged Over "Fine Management Fee Settlement" Claim

The owner of a vehicle that habitually illegally parked in a disabled-only parking space posted a message stating that if someone reports them, the fine will be charged to the management fees of the reporting household.

The building representative parked in a parking space reserved for people with disabilities.
[Photo by Online Community]

On the 15th, a post titled "A Representative of an Apartment Building" was uploaded to an online community. The author, Mr. A, who is a resident of the apartment, posted a photo of a notice posted on the apartment bulletin board where he lives. In the post, there is a passenger car parked in a disabled-only parking space, and on a photocopy of that photo, additional writing is present. The text reads, "Parking lot is narrow, so parked here. Please do not report. Building Representative," and below it says, "We will settle 80,000 won from the management fees. If a resident takes a photo and uploads it, it will be handled through management fees."

Judging only by the post, it can be interpreted that the building representative is saying not to report because the parking lot is narrow and the car was parked in the disabled parking space. Furthermore, if reported, the 80,000 won fine will be handled through the management fees. Although it can be interpreted in various ways, the community poster assumed it was posted by the building representative.

Netizens who read the story, based on the interpretation that the building representative posted it, responded with comments such as, "How can an apartment building representative be so bold?", "The role of a building representative is to efficiently control external vehicles and make parking convenient for residents in a narrow parking lot, but it seems this building representative thinks their role is to unjustly use disabled parking spaces," and "Why park in a disabled parking space?"

[Photo by Getty Images]

This is not the first time controversy has arisen over paying fines for illegal parking in disabled-only parking spaces with apartment funds. A similar incident occurred in 2021, when the building representative said, "Because the apartment parking lot is narrow, I have been using the disabled parking space at night, but I was fined due to a resident's report. From now on, the apartment plans to take responsibility for paying the fines, so please try not to report."

Regarding this issue, Choi Hye-young, a member of the Democratic Party, stated, "While it is important to determine whether the actions of the apartment building representative posted on the online community are illegal or not, we must recognize that this is a social problem caused by a lack of understanding of disabilities. Disabled-only parking spaces are a legitimate right for the mobility of disabled persons and must be guaranteed, not just leftover empty spots," and emphasized, "For a fundamental solution, all members of society need to recognize that disabled-only parking spaces are essential areas for people with mobility difficulties."

Meanwhile, disabled-only parking spaces are specified in the Disabled Welfare Act and the Act on the Promotion of Convenience for the Disabled, the Elderly, Pregnant Women, etc. Although the law stipulates that only vehicles with parking permits and carrying persons with mobility disabilities may park in disabled-only parking spaces, as of 2021, the number of illegal parking cases detected in disabled-only parking spaces totaled 2.17 million (an average of 360,000 cases per year), with fines amounting to 185.1 billion won.

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