Gyeonggi-do Launches Special Crackdown on Habitual Tax-Delinquent and Dapo Vehicles

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will conduct a special crackdown on habitual delinquent vehicles and ghost cars.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 31st that it has designated the 6th of next month as the "Regional Delinquent Vehicle Crackdown Day" and will carry out a special crackdown on habitual delinquent vehicles and ghost cars across all 31 cities and counties in cooperation with related organizations such as the National Police Agency and the Korea Expressway Corporation.

The targets for seizure are vehicles with more than three unpaid automobile tax payments and fines exceeding 300,000 KRW. As of March, among approximately 6,204,400 registered vehicles in the province, 174,090 vehicles have unpaid automobile taxes for three or more times, with a total delinquent amount of 110.8 billion KRW. This accounts for 59.3% of the total automobile tax arrears.

Owners of vehicles whose license plates are seized during this crackdown must visit the relevant city or county office or financial institution to pay the full amount of the delinquent taxes to retrieve their license plates.

However, considering the ongoing COVID-19 disaster situation, the crackdown will be conducted within a range that does not affect the livelihood of owners of delinquent vehicles such as self-employed persons or small business owners.

Additionally, the province will investigate whether vehicles seized due to more than one year of unpaid automobile taxes and suspected ghost cars have compulsory insurance, settle the delinquent amounts, and check whether vehicles whose whereabouts are unknown are being operated, issuing suspension orders if necessary.

Ghost cars are used as tools for crimes such as causing traffic accidents and hit-and-run incidents, causing damage to residents and various social problems. When a ghost car is detected, it will be immediately seized and towed regardless of the number of delinquent payments, and the operator’s ID will be checked to investigate the circumstances of vehicle acquisition and verify whether it is a criminal vehicle.