Foreign Renters Violate Traffic Laws Half the Time, Then Flee Without Paying

Last Year's Fine Nonpayment Rate 50.6%... 1.2 Billion Won Unpaid Over 5 Years
Shin Jeong-hoon "Seeking Active Solutions Including Deposit System"

Assemblyman Shin Jeong-hoon making an inquiry.
[Photo by Assemblyman Shin Jeong-hoon's Office]

Last year, the number of unpaid fines by foreign rental car users increased by 19% compared to the previous year, and the amount more than doubled.

According to the national audit data submitted by Shin Jeong-hoon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Naju·Hwasun), to the National Police Agency on the 24th, the rate of unpaid fines by foreign rental car users, which had remained in the 31% range until 2022, surged to 50.6% last year. The unpaid amount also significantly increased from about 190 million KRW in 2022 to about 390 million KRW last year. As of August this year, 63.1% remains unpaid, and the total unpaid fines over the past five years have reached 1.25 billion KRW.

The main reason is analyzed to be that, unlike domestic users, many foreigners leave the country after returning the rental car. It is practically difficult to send fine notices, and there are no effective collection methods.

Rep. Shin emphasized, “More than half of foreign rental car users bear no responsibility for traffic violations,” and added, “We need to seek more proactive solutions, such as utilizing an overseas pre-authorization system or the deposit system operated by the hotel industry.”

Meanwhile, the number of unpaid fines by domestic rental car users is also on the rise. The unpaid rate increased from 18.7% in 2022 to 24.9% last year, and the total unpaid amount over the past five years is estimated to be 41.2 billion KRW.

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