Parking lots fill up as odd-even vehicle restrictions lifted

"It's a relief not having to worry about the last digit anymore."

That was the mood Tuesday morning at the public parking lot in front of Seodaemun-gu district office in Seoul, as the government lifted its odd-even restriction on passenger cars at public institutions and the five-day rotation scheme at public parking lots. Yellow signboards that had warned drivers of the five-day rule, along with banners reading "Please comply with the vehicle five-day scheme," were dismantled one by one as the morning commute began.

Eom, a 74-year-old traffic safety officer who was clearing away the signboards, said that even the day before, about two out of every 20 cars that pulled in had plates restricted that day. "I turned away several cars a day, so it's a relief I no longer have to do that," he said. He added that the policy had never fully taken hold because public awareness was lacking. "They promoted the five-day scheme over the PA system for a while, but even that stopped after some time," he said.

Residents who had been checking dates against their license plate numbers welcomed the change. Jung, a 72-year-old visiting the Seodaemun public health center, said his plate ended in 7, which had barred him from public parking lots on Tuesdays. "There were times I forgot what day it was and had to drive around looking for another lot," he said. "It's good not to have that worry anymore."

Kim, a 57-year-old who drove a black sedan to the district office that day, said he had not known the restrictions were being lifted Tuesday. "If they had stayed in place, I would have had to park far away and walk in this heat," he said. "There are a lot of events today, including the new district mayor's inauguration — it would have been a real inconvenience for a lot of people."

The change was visible at Mapo-gu district office as well. At 6 a.m., notices reading "Public institution staff must comply with the public-sector odd-even vehicle rule" and "General visitors must comply with the public five-day scheme" were still posted at the entrance, but staff removed the odd-even restriction notice for public institution vehicles by around 8 a.m.

Kim, a 35-year-old leaving the district office swimming pool, said he had avoided bringing his car every Friday because of the five-day rule. "Not having to think about that anymore is the biggest relief," he said. Another visitor, Jung, 45, said his plate ended in 8, which had kept him from driving on Wednesdays. "Starting today I drove over without a second thought," he said.

A parking lot attendant predicted the lot would go back to being packed. "After the odd-even rule kicked in, there was always room in the lot, but starting today I think it'll fill right back up like before," the attendant said. That proved accurate: by around 9:10 a.m. Tuesday, the Mapo-gu district office parking lot showed zero spaces available, with the underground levels also nearly full.

Residents at public parking lots in Yeongdeungpo-gu also welcomed the end of the five-day scheme. Kim, a 40-year-old visiting the Yeongdeungpo-gu district office, said the drive from home takes five minutes but the bus takes about 25. "It's hot out, and now I can just bring the car without worrying about the date — that's a huge improvement," he said.

At the Dangsan off-street public parking lot next to the Yeongdeungpo District Council, cars with plates ending in 3 and 8 — previously restricted on Wednesdays — began pulling in from the first morning of the lifted restrictions. Lee, 42, recalled being turned away when the five-day scheme first launched because he had not known about it. "Honestly, I never felt like public transit use actually went up that much because of it," he said.

Reactions to the scheme varied by region. In the greater Seoul metropolitan area, where public transit is relatively convenient, the dominant sentiment was relief at no longer having to track dates. But civil servants in rural county-level areas with limited transit options were more critical, saying the policy had never suited local conditions in the first place.

A civil servant in Geumsan-gun, South Chungcheong Province, said departments handling on-site complaints had frequently seen casework delayed because staff could not use their vehicles on restricted days. "With extreme heat and the rainy season coming up, having the restrictions lifted will make field response much easier," the official said.

A staff member at the local district education office in the same area said business trips sometimes fell on restricted days, forcing employees to take a bus or park elsewhere. "At first I could feel the fuel savings, but as time went on I started to question whether it was actually working," the official said.

Civil servants in rural parts of Gangwon Province also voiced frustration, saying it made no sense to apply the same standards as the greater Seoul area to regions with poor public transit. "In the end, all it meant was parking outside the building and walking in," one said.

The government lifted both restrictions effective midnight Tuesday, citing improved international oil supply conditions that allowed it to lower the resource security crisis alert level. The restrictions had their origins in high global oil prices driven by Middle East tensions: the government introduced a five-day vehicle rotation scheme for the public sector on March 25, then tightened it to an odd-even restriction on passenger cars at public institutions starting April 8, with the five-day scheme extended to public parking lots on the same day.

Throughout the period, the policy drew persistent criticism for failing to account for regional differences in transportation infrastructure, and compliance at public institutions fell short of expectations. The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy recorded 899 violations at the ministry and its affiliated agencies alone through June 22. Across all 25 government ministries and public institutions, detected violations totaled approximately 27,000.