Urging Improvement of the 'Unfair Fine System'
Expansion of Safety Facilities and Securing Funding Must Go Hand in Hand
There have been calls to return fines issued from enforcement cameras installed with local government budgets back to the local governments instead of having them revert to the national treasury.
Na Gwang-guk, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly (Democratic Party of Korea·Muan 2), recently stated during an administrative audit of the Jeonnam Provincial Office's Citizen Safety Division that “there is a need to improve the system so that fines imposed and collected through enforcement cameras installed with local government budgets can be reinvested in road and traffic safety facilities within the region,” on the 11th.
Na Gwang-guk, a Jeonnam Provincial Assembly member, is making an inquiry during the administrative audit. Photo by Na Gwang-guk
According to data from the Jeonnam Autonomous Police Committee submitted by Assemblyman Na, the number of enforcement cameras nearly doubled from 886 in 2020 to 1,732 in 2023. The number of enforcement cases increased from 960,000 to 1,350,000, and fine revenue rose from 28.9 billion KRW to 47.4 billion KRW, reflecting average annual increases of 15% and 17.8%, respectively. During the same period, the average annual decrease rates for traffic accidents, fatalities, and injuries in the province were 5.48%, 5.96%, and 6.97%, respectively.
Assemblyman Na pointed out, “Although the increase in enforcement cameras has somewhat reduced the occurrence and damage of traffic accidents, the reduction is insufficient compared to the rise in enforcement cases and fine collections,” adding, “To reduce traffic accident damage, it is necessary to strengthen enforcement alongside expanding safety facilities and securing funding.”
He continued, “Under current law, most of the budget required for installing various safety facilities such as enforcement cameras and speed bumps is borne by local governments, but all fines imposed and collected through enforcement equipment revert to the national treasury,” emphasizing, “We must urge the government to improve this unreasonable system to create a virtuous cycle where traffic enforcement fines can be reinvested locally to strengthen safety facilities.”
In response, Kim Shin-nam, head of the Citizen Safety Division, said, “The government supports budgets for installing safety facilities through fire safety grants and balanced special accounts, but these are insufficient compared to fines reverting to the national treasury,” and added, “We will do our best to create a safe road traffic environment in the province.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
