Emergency Vehicle Exclusive License Plates to Be Introduced for Police and Fire Trucks

Non-Commercial Cargo, Passenger, and Special Vehicles Also Transition from 7-Digit to 8-Digit Numbering System

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] Starting this November, ‘exclusive license plates for emergency vehicles’ will be introduced for police and fire trucks. Additionally, the registration number system for non-commercial cargo, passenger, and special vehicles will be revised from the existing 7 digits to 8 digits.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 27th that it will publicly notify for 20 days starting from the 28th the amendment to the ‘Standards for Vehicle Registration Plates, etc.’, which includes introducing exclusive license plates for emergency vehicles such as police and fire trucks for efficient operation, and revising the number system for non-commercial passenger, cargo, and special vehicles from 7 digits to 8 digits.

Although most apartment complexes, including newly built and existing apartments, operate unmanned barriers, police and fire trucks dispatched in response to crime or fire reports have faced difficulties in rapid initial response due to significant delays passing through these barriers.

Due to this issue, some areas have pre-registered emergency vehicle license numbers in apartment complexes with unmanned barriers to respond to emergencies. However, there have been many inconveniences such as having to re-register the license numbers when installing new unmanned barriers or replacing emergency vehicles.

This measure aims to assign a unique number (998~999) exclusively for emergency vehicles to the first three digits of police and fire truck license plates, and to establish a system that allows these vehicles to automatically pass through unmanned barriers quickly without stopping.

Seo Juhyun, Director of the Digital Government Policy Division at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "Currently, the vehicle number lists of the local police and fire stations must be registered individually in each unmanned barrier, but in the future, unmanned barriers will distinguish emergency vehicles by the first three digits of the license plate, which is expected to save more lives and property in emergencies."

Furthermore, the number system for non-commercial passenger, cargo, and special vehicles, which currently maintains a 7-digit system, will be revised to 8 digits like non-commercial passenger cars.

Previously, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport revised the number system from 7 digits to 8 digits to expand the registration number capacity for non-commercial vehicles, which had reached saturation due to the rapid increase in vehicle registrations. In addition, following the introduction of 8-digit painted license plates for non-commercial passenger cars in September 2019, 8-digit reflective film license plates have been additionally introduced and operated since July last year.

The Ministry explained that this revision aims to secure registration number capacity for non-commercial cargo vehicles, which have reached saturation, and to unify the number system for non-commercial vehicles, as the 8-digit system for non-commercial passenger cars has been stably established.

Kim Jeonghee, Director of the Vehicle Policy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "Cargo, passenger, and special vehicles, which will switch to 8 digits this year, can choose between painted and film license plates according to consumer preference, just like non-commercial passenger cars. The introduction of exclusive license plates for emergency vehicles aims to protect the precious lives and property of citizens in emergencies such as crimes and fires, and we will ensure smooth implementation through cooperation among related agencies."