On October 16, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it conducted a joint crackdown on vehicles with habitual unpaid automobile taxes and vehicle-related fines across the country on October 15, in collaboration with the National Police Agency and the Korea Expressway Corporation. Starting from this crackdown, each local government will operate a “Second Half Delinquency Cleanup Period” until the end of December. If you have overdue automobile taxes or parking fines, now is the time to settle them before the end of the year.
1. Results of the Joint Crackdown on October 15
- Enforcement Locations: 9 highway tollgates including Guri-Namyangju, Hongcheon, and Seo-Cheongju, and urban areas nationwide
- Enforcement Targets: Vehicles with 2 or more unpaid automobile taxes; vehicles with unpaid vehicle-related fines of 300,000 KRW or more for violations such as illegal parking or failure to maintain mandatory insurance
- Results: 2,023 delinquent vehicles (unpaid amount approximately 1.38 billion KRW) detected; 1,946 license plates seized. 77 vehicles with unpaid tolls were separately enforced by the Korea Expressway Corporation
- Personnel Deployed: Approximately 1,500 people, including tax officials, police, and Korea Expressway Corporation employees
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated that for vehicles that did not pay on-site, license plates were seized, but for vehicles essential for livelihood, such as freight trucks and vans, they provided guidance on installment payments rather than immediate seizure of the license plates.
2. What will be strengthened until the end of December
- Nighttime and early morning license plate seizures will be expanded nationwide in apartment parking lots and areas with high concentrations of commercial buildings.
- High-value and habitual delinquents will be subject to seizure of bank accounts and wages, tracking of virtual assets, and requests for exit bans.
- For vehicles that still do not pay even after their license plates are seized, and for vehicles using stolen identities (ghost vehicles), they will be subject to seizure and delivery orders, followed by forced towing and public auctions to cover the delinquent amounts.
3. Legal basis and standards for license plate seizure
The legal basis for license plate seizure varies depending on the cause of delinquency.
| Category | Legal Basis | Seizure Criteria | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquent Automobile Tax | Article 131 of the 「Local Tax Act」, Article 128 of the Enforcement Decree | Cases where the delinquent automobile tax is not paid within the demand period (actual enforcement focuses on vehicles with 2 or more delinquencies) | Returned immediately upon payment of the delinquent automobile tax |
| Delinquent Automobile-related Fines | Article 55 of the 「Act on the Regulation of Violations of Public Order」, Article 14 of the Enforcement Decree | More than 60 days from the date the delinquency occurred, total amount of 300,000 KRW or more including surcharges, and the vehicle is owned by the delinquent party | Returned immediately after verification of the payment certificate |
When seizing due to fines, the administrative agency must send a written notice in advance stating, “If not paid within 10 days, the license plate will be seized” (Article 14, Paragraph 3 of the Enforcement Decree). If you have received a seizure notice, your priority should be to pay within that period or explain your circumstances.
4. If the vehicle is for livelihood: Temporary suspension of seizure and installment payments
If the vehicle is a means of livelihood and living becomes difficult without a license plate, there is a way to have the plate returned for use while paying in installments.
- Delinquent Automobile Tax: Pursuant to Article 128-2 of the 「Enforcement Decree of the Local Tax Act」, you may submit an application and documents proving the use of the vehicle for livelihood purposes to the Mayor, County Governor, or Head of Gu. The temporary suspension period is within 6 months, and if the reason persists, it can be extended once for an additional 3 months. In this case, a condition may be attached to pay the delinquent automobile tax in installments.
- Cases where suspension is canceled: If you fall into delinquency for other local taxes or fail to meet the installment payment conditions, the temporary suspension will be canceled and the license plate will be seized again.
- Delinquent Fines: Article 55, Paragraph 4 of the 「Act on the Regulation of Violations of Public Order」 also provides for the temporary suspension of seizure for livelihood-type vehicles. However, if you are also delinquent on other fines, the suspension will not be granted.
Since the types of documents recognized as proof of livelihood purposes may vary by local government, ⚠️ it is necessary to check with the competent City, County, or Gu office. If you are a freight transport business operator, it is advisable to prepare documents that demonstrate the vehicle is directly linked to your livelihood, such as a transport business license, vehicle operation logs, and income records.
5. Things to check now
- First, check your automobile tax delinquency status via WeTax or your competent City, County, or Gu office. There are many cases where delinquencies accumulate because notices were not received during moving or ownership transfer processes.
- Fines for illegal parking, delayed inspections, or failure to maintain mandatory insurance become subject to seizure if the total amount exceeds 300,000 KRW; therefore, check the total even if the amount per item is small.
- If there are grounds to dispute the imposition of a fine itself, you must first check the deadline for submitting opinions or filing objections according to the notice on the bill.
This post is an administrative trend guide organized by the Hwang Yunsang Administrative Agent Office based on publicly available data. For the application to individual cases, verification with the competent authorities is required.