Seoul Autonomous Police Committee to Operate Undercover Patrol Cars on Regular Roads

Increase from 3 to 5 units currently

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee announced on the 15th that starting next month, it will increase the number of undercover patrol cars, which are effective for cracking down on and promoting traffic law violations, from 3 to 5 and expand the enforcement areas to general roads. The committee resolved the "Seoul City Undercover Patrol Car Expansion and Operation Plan" and issued it to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

Of the 5 additional undercover patrol cars, 4 will be assigned on a rotating basis to police stations in four regions divided among 31 police stations, focusing on areas with frequent fatal traffic accidents. The remaining one will be permanently assigned to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Urban Expressway Patrol Unit to conduct enforcement and promotional activities on 12 dedicated roads, including Nambusunhwan-ro and Gangbyeonbuk-ro.

In particular, traffic accidents will be analyzed monthly, and undercover patrol cars will be prioritized and deployed to necessary regions on a 1-2 month basis to crack down on high-risk and highly criticized behaviors such as center line violations, reckless driving, and cutting in. Enforcement against motorcycles and personal mobility devices (PM), which have recently become social issues, will also be strengthened.

Undercover patrol cars have an appearance similar to regular passenger cars and follow speeding, drunk driving, and signal violation vehicles to enforce the law. This allows effective enforcement of vehicles violating regulations in blind spots without enforcement equipment and not just slowing down in front of fixed unmanned speed cameras.

Kim Hak-bae, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee, said, “The expansion and operation of undercover patrol cars will raise awareness that traffic law violations can be enforced anytime and anywhere, promoting drivers to comply with the law on their own.” He added, “In particular, strengthening enforcement against violations by motorcycles and personal mobility devices, which are problematic, is expected to greatly contribute to preventing traffic accidents.”