If You Park Your Car on the Sidewalk Even for Just 1 Minute... You'll Get a '50,000 Won' Ticket

Grace Period Ends... Fines Imposed from August 1
2 Photos Taken 1 Minute Apart Reported via Safe Report
Jurisdiction Automatically Imposes Fines

Starting from August, a fine of up to 50,000 KRW will be imposed if caught illegally parking or stopping on sidewalks.

Illegal Parking in the Press Area

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 24th that the grace period for the nationwide expansion of the resident reporting system for illegal parking on sidewalks ends this month, and fines will be imposed starting from the 1st of next month.

The resident reporting system for illegal parking has been expanded from the previous five zones to six zones, including sidewalks, since the 1st of this month to secure citizens' right to walk.

The previous zones for the illegal parking resident reporting system were ▲ within 5 meters of a fire hydrant ▲ within 5 meters of an intersection corner ▲ within 10 meters of a bus stop ▲ crosswalks ▲ and children's protection zones in front of elementary school main gates, with sidewalks now added to this list.

The illegal parking resident reporting system allows residents to report illegal parking by taking at least two photos of the vehicle at one-minute intervals and submitting them through the Safe Report app, after which the relevant local government automatically imposes a fine. This system has been in effect since 2019, and last year, about 3.43 million reports were filed.

If a vehicle is found to have parked or stopped on a sidewalk for more than one minute and is reported by a resident, a fine of 40,000 KRW for passenger cars and 50,000 KRW for vans will be imposed. Resident reporting for vehicles illegally parked on sidewalks is now possible nationwide.

If parking or stopping violations occur at different locations, fines will be imposed each time regardless of the number of violations.

However, if the same report is submitted without moving the vehicle at the same location, only one fine will be imposed.

In the case of sidewalks, vehicles must not park or stop even if only part of the vehicle encroaches onto the sidewalk.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated, "The right to walk is the most fundamental right of the people, and pedestrian safety must not be threatened by illegal parking on sidewalks."

Meanwhile, some voices of dissatisfaction have emerged, especially regarding narrow parking spaces adjacent to sidewalks in front of restaurants, where parking on the sidewalk is difficult.

It is also argued that in places that are not large stores with enough parking spaces to accommodate all customer vehicles, customers have no choice but to park on sidewalks or in no-parking zones.