Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju: "Fines Should Be Imposed for Illegally Abandoned Kickboards"

Request Submitted to National Police Agency for Road Law Amendment
Call for Establishment of Nationwide Unified Standards

Gwangsan-gu in Gwangju has officially proposed to the National Police Agency an amendment to the law that would establish criteria for imposing fines in order to address the issue of illegal parking and abandonment of personal mobility devices (PM), such as electric scooters, throughout the district.

Exterior view of Gwangsan District Office in Gwangju.

On the 11th, Gwangsan-gu announced that it had requested the National Police Agency to add a provision for imposing fines on illegal parking of electric scooters in the Enforcement Decree of the Road Traffic Act. The district explained that, given the limitations of voluntary maintenance by rental companies, effective enforcement measures are necessary.

Since November of last year, Gwangsan-gu has been towing illegally parked electric scooters and charging towing fees to rental companies in accordance with the "Gwangju City Personal Mobility Device Safety Management Guidelines." Currently, after a report is received, there is a grace period of 30 minutes to 2 hours, after which a towing fee of 15,000 won is imposed if the device is not retrieved.

However, due to a lack of personnel and equipment, as well as insufficient storage facilities, the effectiveness of the towing measures has been limited, and the voluntary retrieval rate by companies remains low, leading to ongoing calls for institutional improvement. Although the National Assembly is currently reviewing the "Act on the Safety and Promotion of the Use of Personal Mobility Devices," there has yet to be a concrete discussion on specific penalties for unauthorized abandonment.

A district official stated, "In order to encourage active retrieval by companies, there must be standardized enforcement criteria and grounds for imposing fines that can be applied by local governments nationwide. We will also do our best to create a safe pedestrian environment by securing dedicated parking spaces and conducting campaigns to raise user awareness."