Gwangju City to Restrict Operation of Grade 5 Emission Vehicles Starting December

Until the end of March next year, for 4 months
Weekdays from 6 AM to 9 PM enforcement
10,000 KRW daily fine if caught

Gwangju City Hall exterior view.

Gwangju City announced on the 24th that it will restrict the operation of Grade 5 emission vehicles that have not undergone low-emission measures from December 1st of this year to March 31st of next year, the 6th fine dust seasonal management period.

The fine dust seasonal management system restricts the operation of Grade 5 vehicles, which emit a large amount of soot, the main cause of ultrafine dust, for four months from December to March of the following year, when high concentrations of fine dust frequently occur, to reduce fine dust levels. Currently, the fine dust seasonal management system is being implemented in the metropolitan area including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, as well as six special and metropolitan cities (Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, Sejong, Ulsan) under the Special Act on Fine Dust.

Since 2021, the city has restricted the operation of Grade 5 vehicles when emergency reduction measures are issued due to predicted high concentrations of ultrafine dust, and from the 5th seasonal management period, it has actively enforced restrictions on Grade 5 vehicle operation for proactive fine dust prevention. One month before the fine dust seasonal management period begins, restrictions on the operation of Grade 5 emission vehicles are preemptively enforced on public institutions in Gwangju.

The enforcement hours for restricting the operation of Grade 5 vehicles without low-emission measures are from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. Enforcement is conducted through CCTV installed at nine major roads in Gwangju, and violators are fined 100,000 KRW per day.

However, emergency vehicles, vehicles displaying disability marks, vehicles recognized as national merit recipients with disability grades, commercial vehicles, small business owners, vehicles of basic livelihood security recipients and lower-income classes, vehicles that have applied for low-emission measures, and vehicles that cannot be equipped with reduction devices are exempted.

Son In-gyu, Director of the Climate and Air Policy Division, said, “Although the restriction on the operation of Grade 5 emission vehicles during the fine dust seasonal management period may cause some inconvenience, it is an unavoidable measure for the health of citizens,” and added, “We hope citizens actively participate in low-emission measures and operation restrictions through support projects such as early scrapping of Grade 5 vehicles.”