Seoul cracks down on serial tax, toll dodgers at highway checkpoints

The Seoul Metropolitan Government launched a sweeping crackdown Tuesday on vehicles that habitually use expressways while carrying unpaid auto taxes, traffic fines or highway tolls, conducting the operation jointly with the city's 25 autonomous districts, the Korean National Police Agency and Korea Expressway Corp.

The joint operation combines fixed checkpoints at tollgates on expressway approaches into Seoul with mobile enforcement units deployed across the city. The four agencies pooled their delinquency data and administrative resources, mobilizing more than 180 personnel and 40 vehicles for the simultaneous sweep.

Seoul city staff include investigators from Tax Collection Division 38, parking enforcement officers and license-plate seizure personnel from each autonomous district. Equipment deployed includes 38 vehicles fitted with license-plate readers, one police patrol car and one tow truck.

Vehicles subject to enforcement include those with two or more unpaid auto-tax installments, those carrying traffic fines of 300,000 won (about $194) or more for speeding or signal violations, and those with 20 or more unpaid highway toll transactions.

As of the end of April, approximately 3.16 million vehicles were registered in Seoul. Of those, 160,000 — about 5.1 percent — had outstanding auto-tax debt totaling 39.1 billion won. More than 4,300 vehicles had unpaid bus-lane violation fines of 300,000 won or more outstanding for over 60 days, with total arrears reaching 3.4 billion won.

Accumulated unpaid traffic fines issued by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency for speeding and signal violations have reached 192.5 billion won. Habitual toll evaders are already subject to a surcharge of 10 times the standard toll.

When a delinquent vehicle is flagged at an enforcement site, officers will first urge the driver to pay on the spot. If payment is not made, the license plate will be seized immediately or the vehicle towed. For high-value, repeat offenders, the city plans to tow vehicles and put them up for public auction under Articles 56 and 71 of the Local Tax Collection Act.

"Fines imposed for traffic violations and tolls for expressway use are amounts that must be paid," an enforcement official said. "We hope citizens will come to widely recognize that paying fines and tolls on time is the foundation of road safety and order."