"9,000 Complaints Over Illegally Parked Cars Without Contact Info... Easier Access to Owners' Phone Numbers"

ACRC to Pursue Legal Measures for Securing Vehicle Owners' Contact Information
Legal Basis to Be Established in the Road Traffic Act and Parking Lot Act for Providing Phone Numbers... Recommendation Made to National Police Agency and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

The commercial area of Godeok New Town opposite Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus. Despite the early morning, illegally parked vehicles line the road. Photo by Jeong Dohwan

In addition to the existing measures of towing or public announcements, securing the contact information of vehicle owners is expected to enable faster removal of illegally parked vehicles without contact details displayed.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission recently recommended to relevant agencies a system improvement plan that would allow local government heads to legally obtain the phone numbers of vehicle owners in order to address illegally parked vehicles.

Under the Road Traffic Act and the Parking Lot Act, local government heads are authorized to take necessary actions against illegally parked vehicles on roads or in parking lots. Illegally parked vehicles without contact information have caused significant inconvenience to nearby residents, with approximately 9,000 related complaints filed through platforms such as the National Civil Complaint Center in 2024. However, with only the currently available legal measures such as towing, it has been difficult to promptly remove illegally parked vehicles, resulting in limitations in resolving public inconvenience. In many local governments, towing is not used as a measure against illegally parked vehicles due to the lack of agencies equipped with the necessary personnel and facilities. Even when conditions are met, towing can take time due to the dispatch process, and in some cases, towing is difficult depending on the type of vehicle or the situation at the scene.

According to a 2024 survey by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission of 228 local governments, including Sejong and Jeju, regarding the number of tows for parking violations under the Road Traffic Act, 145 local governments (63.6%) reported no towing cases. Other measures such as imposing fines or making public announcements were found to be ineffective or unsuitable for complaints demanding immediate vehicle removal.

To address this, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has prepared an improvement plan that would allow local governments to contact vehicle owners in a lawful manner as a supplementary measure to towing or public announcements, enabling the prompt removal of vehicles without contact information. When registering a vehicle with a local government, the owner's phone number is collected for purposes such as recall notifications. Under the Personal Information Protection Act, personal information may be used for purposes other than originally intended if specifically stipulated by law. Accordingly, the Commission has recommended to the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport that the Road Traffic Act and the Parking Lot Act be amended to provide a legal basis for local government heads to obtain the phone numbers of vehicle owners in order to address parking violations.

Yang Jongsam, Director of the Grievance Settlement Bureau at the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, stated, "Cooperation among public institutions to secure contact information for illegally parked vehicles and facilitate their removal will not only alleviate inconvenience for residents and improve administrative efficiency, but will also help the violators themselves avoid towing. As illegal parking is closely related to daily life and causes significant inconvenience, we will continue to make efforts to resolve related complaints and improve the system."

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