The Lane Markings That Disappeared When It Rained... It Was Due to 'Biri,' Not Vision Issues

34 Companies Mix Low-Cost Products in Paint Materials
3,500 KRW Product Mixed into 7,200 KRW per 1kg Material

Claims have been raised that the blurry lane markings on highways during rain, which have confused drivers, are due to 'corruption' by some construction companies.

On the 3rd, vehicles are driving through the rain on Sejong-daero near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasted that the entire country will be cloudy with rain, and localized heavy rain of up to 150mm is expected in the central region and Gyeongbuk./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 12th, Seo Il-jun, a member of the People Power Party, attending the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee audit, stated to Ham Jin-gyu, president of the Korea Expressway Corporation, "Drivers have experienced that highway lane markings are particularly hard to see when it rains," adding, "This is not a vision problem but a corruption issue."

According to Representative Seo, during the lane painting project commissioned by the Korea Expressway Corporation in 2021, companies and related personnel who mixed low-cost raw materials (glass beads) were sent to the prosecution in August this year.

The actual glass beads used for lane painting cost 7,200 KRW per kilogram. In contrast, the relatively lower-performance glass beads cost 3,500 KRW per kilogram, a significantly lower price. It was revealed that the fraudulent construction companies mixed the standard product and the low-cost product at an 8 to 2 ratio to gain unfair profits.

Representative Seo said, "When mixed glass beads are used, it is difficult to visually confirm, and the brightness of the lane markings falls below the standard, making lane identification especially difficult when it rains," adding, "Companies that mixed low-cost glass beads and performed substandard lane painting must be given definite penalties to prevent such incidents from happening again."

He also added, "Companies without a separate 'lane painting specialized license' are participating in bids and borrowing equipment from a few companies," emphasizing the need for regulations to restrict bidding qualifications to companies that own the equipment.