S. Korean Driver Owes $1.2 Million in Driving Fines
 

SEOUL – A driver in South Korea has accumulated more than 1.7 billion won (S$1.6 million) in unpaid administrative fines as at Oct 10, police data has revealed.

Administrative fines are imposed on car owners for speeding and parking violations, not by police officers but by cameras, according to the Road Traffic Act.

Representative Youn Kun-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Nov 11 revealed a police list of the top 100 delinquent drivers who have not paid the largest amounts in administrative fines.

The total amount of their unpaid fines was 31.5 billion won.

The driver with the largest delinquency, identified by the surname Lim, has been linked to 19,677 instances of speeding, as well as 1,553 other traffic violations.

Lim is obliged to pay 1,712,806,300 won in fines.

A driver surnamed Kim followed Lim with 1,096,673,960 won of unpaid fines for a total of 13,485 suspected violations.

Unlike fines under other criminal rules, administrative fines are not a criminal punishment, so a high amount of delinquency does not lead to a criminal conviction or licence suspension in Korea.

The only penalty comes in the form of interest imposed during the unpaid period.

Interest rates are 3 per cent during the first month after payment is due, then 1.2 per cent per month up to 60 months.

According to the police, only 53.6 per cent of administrative fines were collected in 2023.

The total amount of uncollected administrative fines was 1.13 trillion won as at Oct 10.

Source : https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/driver-in-south-korea-racks-up-over-20000-tickets-owes-1-6m-in-unpaid-fines

Comprehension

How much unpaid administrative fines does the top delinquent driver in South Korea owe?
What is the main cause of administrative fines according to the article?
How many speeding violations was the driver with the surname Lim linked to?
What is the total unpaid amount of administrative fines in South Korea as of Oct 10?
Who revealed the list of the top 100 delinquent drivers?
What happens if administrative fines are not paid in South Korea?
What percentage of administrative fines was collected in 2023?
How is interest applied to unpaid administrative fines in South Korea?

Discussion

Why do you think some drivers do not pay their fines?
Should speeding violations have stricter penalties? Why or why not?
How do you think unpaid fines affect the community?
What can be done to encourage people to pay their traffic fines?
Have you ever received a fine or penalty? How did you handle it?
Do you agree with cameras being used to issue traffic fines? Why?
How do unpaid fines in South Korea compare to those in your country?
Should non-payment of administrative fines result in stricter punishments like license suspension?
What is the role of interest in motivating people to pay fines?
How can technology improve traffic law enforcement?

Vocabulary

Accumulated – Gathered or collected over time.
Administrative fines – Penalties imposed by authorities for violations, not by courts.
Violations – Acts of breaking rules or laws.
Delinquent – Failing to pay money owed.
Obliged – Legally or morally required to do something.
Conviction – A formal declaration that someone is guilty of a crime.
Penalty – A punishment for breaking a law or rule.
Interest rates – The percentage charged on unpaid amounts over time.