The government has identified 2,023 vehicles with habitual delinquencies in car taxes and related fines, seizing 1,946 license plates.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on October 16 that it conducted a joint crackdown on habitual delinquent vehicles at nine major highway toll booths and urban areas across the country on October 15, in collaboration with the National Police Agency and the Korea Expressway Corporation.
The crackdown targeted vehicles that had not paid car taxes more than twice or had accumulated vehicle-related fines exceeding 300,000 won due to parking violations or lack of insurance.
More than 1,500 personnel, including local government tax officials, police officers, and Korea Expressway Corporation staff, participated in the operation. Local governments identified 1,946 delinquent vehicles and seized an equal number of license plates, while the Korea Expressway Corporation found 77 vehicles with unpaid tolls.
The total amount owed by the identified vehicles is approximately 1.38 billion won, including 1.29 billion won from local government fines and 86 million won from tolls.
When a vehicle is confirmed as delinquent, officials guide it to a safe location for on-site payment. If payment is not made, license plates are seized according to legal requirements. However, for vehicles essential for livelihood, such as trucks or vans, officials encourage voluntary payment rather than immediate seizure.
After the license plates are seized, if the delinquent amount remains unpaid or if the vehicle is identified as a ghost vehicle, further actions such as seizure, delivery orders, towing, and auctioning will be taken to recover the owed amounts.
Local governments will continue this joint crackdown as part of a 'second half delinquency settlement period' running until the end of December. They plan to implement strong collection activities targeting high-value and habitual delinquents, including bank account and salary seizures, tracking virtual assets, and requesting withdrawal bans.
Song Kyung-joo, head of the Local Finance and Economy Office at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "Creating a society where honest taxpayers are recognized is the starting point of tax justice," and emphasized the commitment to fostering a culture of honest tax payment in collaboration with the National Police Agency, Korea Expressway Corporation, and local governments.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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