Korea Road Traffic Authority Resumes 'Saturday Special Duty' at 19 Driver's License Test Centers Nationwide

Advance reservation required via internet or phone

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The Korea Road Traffic Authority announced on the 9th that it will implement a "full reservation system by visit time" starting Saturday the 13th of this month and conduct special Saturday operations.

The Authority had been conducting special Saturday operations to minimize inconvenience for civil petitioners such as office workers who find it difficult to visit on weekdays, but suspended this since March due to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The Authority will resume special Saturday operations this month, planning to prevent the spread of infectious diseases by dispersing visitors by time slots and handling services only for those with reservations.

Under the full reservation system by visit time, visitors must make a reservation for their visit time (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) in advance via the internet or phone before visiting the license examination center, and services will be provided only to those with reservations.

Civil services available on Saturdays include first-class driver’s license aptitude tests, second-class renewals, and reissuance. Other services such as international license issuance and foreign or military license exchanges must be done on weekdays (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

Applications can be made by checking and reserving the desired Saturday working day and time at the license examination center through the Korea Road Traffic Authority’s Safe Driving Integrated Civil Service website (www.safedriving.or.kr) under ‘Driver’s License Issuance.’ If internet use is difficult, reservations can be made by calling the Korea Road Traffic Authority Customer Support Center at 1577-1120.

Special Saturday operations will be conducted at 19 out of 27 driver’s license examination centers nationwide. Yoo Chung-seop, head of the Authority’s License Management Department, said, “We expect the full reservation system by visit time to prevent crowding of waiting people inside the examination centers, thereby preventing the spread of COVID-19 and alleviating the inconvenience caused by long waiting times for civil petitioners.”

Meanwhile, all driver’s license examination centers nationwide have installed acrylic partitions at all civil service counters to minimize contact between visitors and staff for COVID-19 prevention. Hand sanitizers are also placed throughout the centers, and visitors are required to wear masks at all times.