"Only 100,000 Won"…Rampant Online Trade of Unregistered Motorcycle License Plates

Prices Range from 100,000 to 200,000 Won, Mostly Traded via Parcel Delivery
Allows Evasion of Law Enforcement Tracking and Insurance Requirements

"Since it's my motorcycle license plate, I can offer it to you for a low price of 100,000 won."

On November 2, after I commented "I would like to purchase" on a motorcycle license plate seller's promotional post on X (formerly Twitter), I received this message. The seller explained, "I've already organized all the paperwork related to the license plate and received a new one, so I'm just trying to sell the old plate for some extra cash." When I asked if a direct transaction was possible since it was a Gyeonggi Province license plate, the seller replied, "I live in Daegu, so we can do the deal via parcel delivery." He further detailed the process, saying, "If you send me 50,000 won first, I'll send the license plate to the address you provide. After you receive it, you can send the remaining 50,000 won, and the transaction will be complete."

Reporter’s conversation with a motorcycle license plate seller. Photo by Seungwook Park

This shows that the trade of motorcycle license plates is openly taking place online. Despite various side effects, such as the creation of unregistered motorcycles and attempts to evade insurance premiums, enforcement remains difficult, highlighting the need for countermeasures.

On November 14, a search on the social networking service X using keywords like "garapan," "daepopan," and "ㄱㄹㅍ" revealed numerous posts about motorcycle license plate transactions. "Garapan" is slang for a motorcycle license plate, and it is often referred to by its initial consonants, "ㄱㄹㅍ."

There were more posts seeking to buy than to sell, and transaction prices ranged from 100,000 to 200,000 won. Sellers obtain license plates by selling ones they previously used or by stealing plates from abandoned motorcycles.

When I messaged another seller asking if they had any license plates in stock, they replied, "I can sell a Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province license plate for 200,000 won." This seller, who also preferred parcel delivery, encouraged upfront payment by saying, "If you send 100,000 won first, I will send you the license plate."

Reporter’s conversation with a motorcycle license plate seller. Photo by Seungwook Park

The clandestine trade of motorcycle license plates is believed to be driven by the fact that attaching a purchased plate to another motorcycle creates an unregistered vehicle, making it harder for law enforcement agencies to track. Another reason is that it allows buyers to evade the mandatory motorcycle liability insurance requirement.

However, such license plate transactions are clearly illegal under current law. According to Article 362 of the Criminal Act (Acquisition of Stolen Property), violators can face up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to 15 million won. In particular, if the purchased plate is attached to another motorcycle and used, offenders can be sentenced to up to five years in prison under Article 238 of the Criminal Act (Illegal Use of Official Mark).

In fact, last month, the Seongbuk Police Station in Seoul referred four teenagers who sold motorcycle license plates and 20 buyers to the prosecution without detention. The investigation found that between January and April, the teenage sellers stole 29 motorcycle license plates from parking lots around Seoul and sold them to buyers across the country for 150,000 to 200,000 won each.

Oh Yoonseong, a professor in the Department of Police Administration at Soonchunhyang University, said, "From the perspective of individual police officers, there are already many reported cases, making it difficult to focus on cracking down on motorcycle license plate transactions specifically. To prevent this issue, the police leadership must recognize its seriousness and order more frequent crackdowns, so that monitoring of license plate transactions online, as well as the crackdown on unregistered motorcycles, can be continuously maintained."

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