Major Metropolitan Cities Nationwide to Restrict Operation of 'Grade 5 Emission Vehicles' Starting in December

Enforcement from December 1 to March 31, 2026
100,000 won daily fine for violations

Photo by Daejeon City

Daejeon City, along with major metropolitan cities across the country-including the Seoul Capital Area (Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon), Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Ulsan, and Sejong-will restrict the operation of grade 5 emission vehicles during the 7th Seasonal Fine Dust Management Program, which will be implemented from December 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.

This measure is a nationwide fine dust policy implemented to protect public health during the winter, when high concentrations of fine dust frequently occur.

During the restriction period, if a grade 5 emission vehicle without an emission reduction device is caught by a surveillance camera (CCTV) operating between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays, the vehicle owner will be fined 100,000 won per day.

However, considering the challenging economic conditions, Daejeon City will temporarily exempt from enforcement the following vehicles, as specified in the Special Act on Fine Dust Reduction and Management: commercial vehicles, vehicles with disability markings, vehicles for national merit recipients (including those used for prosthetics or livelihood), vehicles that cannot be fitted with emission reduction devices, vehicles that have applied for low-emission measures, vehicles owned by basic livelihood security recipients or low-income households, and vehicles owned by small business owners.

Moon Changyong, Director of the Environmental Bureau of Daejeon City, stated, "Restricting the operation of vehicles is an unavoidable measure to minimize public health damage caused by fine dust in winter. In particular, since subsidies for early scrapping of grade 5 vehicles and installation of emission reduction devices will only be provided until 2026, we urge all eligible vehicle owners to participate in the support programs as soon as possible."

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