Driver who used forged disability parking permit at airport receives suspended sentence

A man in his 40s who used a forged disability parking permit at an airport parking lot has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Judge Jeong Ji-eun of Changwon District Court's Criminal Division 2 on Monday sentenced the defendant, identified only as A, to four months in prison, suspended for one year, on charges of forging an official document and using a forged official document.

A is accused of downloading an image of a disability parking permit and the issuing authority's seal from the internet in February 2023, then editing and forging the documents using photo-editing software before entering his own vehicle registration number.

He was brought to trial after attaching the forged permit to his vehicle and parking in a disability-designated space at the domestic terminal parking lot of Gimhae International Airport in Gangseo-gu, Busan, in October 2025.

"The offense cannot be considered minor, given that the defendant forged and used an official document," the court said in explaining the sentence. It added that it took into account his acknowledgment of the crime, his remorseful attitude and his pledge not to reoffend.