Daily Maximum Usage Fee of 2.16 Million Won for Officetel Building
"Deliberately Set High to Block External Vehicles"
A story about an officetel in Incheon charging 15,000 KRW per 10 minutes, or 90,000 KRW per hour, for external vehicle parking has become a hot topic. The officetel explained that they set such a high parking fee to effectively deter external vehicles from entering, essentially giving up on collecting fees.
According to Yonhap News on the 27th, the hourly parking fee at an officetel parking lot in Namdong-gu, Incheon, is 90,000 KRW. This parking lot charges 15,000 KRW every 10 minutes.
According to Yonhap News on the 27th, the hourly parking fee at an officetel parking lot in Namdong-gu, Incheon is 90,000 won. This parking lot charges 15,000 won per 10 minutes. [Photo by Yonhap News]
A Mr. A, who stopped by for work, was startled when the payment machine showed 90,000 KRW after using the officetel parking lot for one hour. He later noticed a sign at the parking lot entrance stating, "Basic 15,000 KRW per 10 minutes."
Mr. A said, "I pressed the call button and explained the situation, and fortunately, they did not charge me," adding, "I almost had a big problem." In fact, the officetel had outsourced the parking lot to a private company and operated it as a 24-hour unmanned facility, charging 15,000 KRW per 10 minutes.
Unlike typical parking lots, there is no daily fee cap, so parking for 24 hours could result in a maximum fee of about 2.16 million KRW. This officetel especially does not offer exemptions or discounts for external vehicles that are not tenants or customers of the shops.
The parking management company told Yonhap News, "The current fee applied at this officetel parking lot is correct," and explained, "The amount was directly set by the building owner."
High Parking Fees to Secure Parking Spaces for Tenants and Shop Customers
This officetel did not charge such high parking fees from the beginning. Earlier this year, the parking lot was opened for free, but when difficulties arose in managing external vehicles, a fee of 3,000 won per 30 minutes was imposed. Despite this, external vehicle inflow continued, and the officetel explained that they had no choice but to set high fees to prevent it. [Photo by Yonhap News]
The reason for the unusually high parking fees is to secure parking spaces for tenants and shop customers.
Of course, this officetel did not charge such high parking fees from the beginning. Earlier this year, the parking lot was open for free, but when managing external vehicles became difficult, they charged 3,000 KRW per 30 minutes. However, external vehicle inflow continued, and to prevent this, the officetel had no choice but to set high fees, according to their explanation.
An officetel official said, "The intention was to prevent vehicles unrelated to the building from parking, not to make a profit," adding, "It was essentially giving up on fee collection."
They also mentioned that, as in Mr. A’s case, if someone explains their situation, fees may not be charged, but if a fee is paid without any call or explanation, there is no other way.
Meanwhile, even if an officetel sets extremely high parking fees like this one, current laws lack legal grounds to prevent it. Under the Parking Lot Act, managers of attached parking lots can charge users fees, but there are no separate regulations on fee standards. Ultimately, when using private parking lots, the only option is to carefully check the posted fee schedule.
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