“Are they ticketing even council members’ cars?” Controversy as district council member urges district office to ease parking enforcement

[Financial News] A sitting Seoul district council member has sparked controversy over preferential treatment after asking the district office at a standing committee meeting to ease up on enforcement, saying, “They’re issuing parking tickets even to council members’ cars.” The council member explained, “I wasn’t asking for the fines to be waived; I meant that they should show some flexibility toward vehicles being used for official duties.”
According to the JoongAng Ilbo on the 2nd, Council Member A raised the issue with a district office official at the first Welfare and Construction Committee meeting, held at the Geumcheon District Council on the 19th of last month. The committee was deliberating a proposal to outsource some of the district office’s illegal-parking towing operations to a private company. “They’re issuing (parking) tickets even to our council members’ cars,” the member said.
The member said, “They issue parking tickets in residential neighborhoods too, so there’s nowhere to park—it’s a real problem,” adding, “Even though we put a notice on the front saying the vehicle is being used for official duties, they still issue tickets. I’d appreciate it if you could do something about it.”
The member added, “I went to address complaints about homeless people at Geumbit Park, and when I came back, they had issued a ticket and left,” and, “From now on, if possible, when a complaint comes in about a council member’s car marked as being used for official duties, I hope you’ll call that member and ask them to move the car.”
The district office replied, “We prioritize enforcement against illegal parking, but when a vehicle has to be parked for official business, if you send us an official letter, we handle all such cases.”
The current Road Traffic Act has no provision allowing fines to be waived for vehicles carrying politicians. However, district offices and other authorities treat illegal parking by vehicles on official business as falling under a ground for waiving fines in the Enforcement Rule of the Road Traffic Act: “where there are substantial grounds to recognize another unavoidable circumstance.” They therefore waive the fines. Critics argue that legislative activities are less necessary than the other cases specified in the same provision, such as crime prevention and suppression, traffic guidance and enforcement, and transporting emergency patients.
Council Member A reportedly explained, “When I came back after listening to the complainant, the car’s engine hadn’t even been turned off, but they had issued a ticket and left,” adding, “I’ve already paid all the fines imposed at the time.”
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter