Public Official Fined 1.5 Million Won for Valet Parking in Disabled Space with Invalid Permit Sticker: Why?

Sticker for Deceased Family Member with Disability Displayed
Charged with Unauthorized Use of Official Document... Fined 1.5 Million Won

A public official who left their car with a valet at a department store, even though it displayed a disabled parking permit sticker that was no longer valid due to a family member's death, has been fined.

On December 22, Judge Kim Hoseok of the Gwangju District Court’s Criminal Division 1 announced that he had sentenced public official A (a 52-year-old woman) to a fine of 1.5 million won for the unauthorized use of an official document.

This is a stock photo of a parking lot for illustrative purposes only and is unrelated to the main text. Pixabay

On March 2 at 12:52 p.m., A visited a department store in Gwangju and instructed a department store employee to valet park her sedan in a disabled parking space.

The sedan displayed a disabled parking permit sticker for guardians, but it was reported that the family member who had required the disabled parking permit had passed away, rendering the permit invalid. It was revealed that A continued to use the permit approximately 11 months after the family member’s death.

After receiving a summary fine, A requested a formal trial, arguing that she only entrusted the car to the department store employee for valet parking and did not instruct them to park in a disabled parking space. However, the court maintained the fine, stating, "If the car was handed over to the valet with a guardian’s disabled parking permit displayed, the employee could reasonably be expected to park it in a disabled parking space."

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