Monthly Free Parking Passes for Residents
Lineup on Secondhand Trading Sites
Various Types Including 24-Hour and 3-Hour Passes
Residents' Complaints Grow but No Way to Stop
Difficult to Hold Accountable Even in Accidents
An underground parking lot of an apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Due to lack of space, cars are parked on the road. Photo by Lee Jung-yoon
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] "This month, selling parking permits for XXX Apartment in Seocho-gu"
On the 6th, a post was uploaded on a secondhand trading site. The author sold four parking permits each for 24-hour and 3-hour parking in the apartment parking lot. This apartment provides parking permits free of charge to each household every month in preparation for visits by residents' acquaintances or after-service (AS) technicians. They are selling the parking permits distributed by the apartment for residents' convenience for money.
Residents' dissatisfaction with the sale of parking permits is growing. Kang (34) said, "The apartment management office announced not to sell the parking permits given to residents to others," adding, "The parking lot is managed with the maintenance fees paid by residents, so selling parking permits is unfair." Lee (29) said, "I get very angry when I come home late at night and there is no parking space," and added, "Selling parking permits given for residents' convenience for money is an unethical act."
In fact, cars were parked in the passageways because no parking spaces could be found in the apartment parking lot. This is because about 460 households live there, but there are only about 330 parking spaces. The apartment management office is aware of the situation and has warned the sellers of parking permits, but there is no clear way to stop it.
As parking wars break out in each apartment complex, posts selling parking permits provided only to residents can be easily found online. If you enter the keyword 'parking permit' on a secondhand trading site, you can contact people who want to sell them. Someone selling a regular parking permit for an officetel located in Jongno-gu said, "You can park 24 hours for about 5,000 won a day," and added, "If you just use it, it costs 30,000 won a day, so think carefully." A resident of an apartment in Songpa-gu also said they would sell a parking permit and "register your car with the management office anytime."
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of registered cars in Seoul increased from 3,124,157 in December 2019 to 3,158,102 in February this year. Songpa-gu had the most with 245,567, followed by Gangnam-gu with 236,015 registered cars. More than 200,000 cars were also registered in Gangseo-gu, followed by Seocho-gu, Yangcheon-gu, and Nowon-gu. Professor Kim Pil-su of Daelim University's Department of Automotive Engineering explained, "In a situation where apartment parking spaces are insufficient, selling parking permits provided for convenience for money should be avoided," and added, "If such acts occur at the apartment level, measures such as revoking parking spaces need to be prepared."
Apartment parking lots are classified as non-road areas, so it is difficult to hold outsiders responsible even if they cause accidents. Under current law, roads within apartment complexes, including parking lots, are classified as non-road areas, so even if a traffic accident occurs, the offending driver is not held liable for gross negligence. In January, a partial amendment bill to the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling was proposed to allow prosecution of drivers if life-threatening risks occur due to traffic accidents in non-road areas, but it is currently pending in the National Assembly.
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