[2023 National Audit] 'Could It Be a Daepocha?' 660,000 Vehicles Not Inspected for Over 10 Years

It has been pointed out that more than 660,000 vehicles have not undergone the minimum safety check procedure, the automobile inspection, for over 10 years.

According to data analyzed by Representative Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, received from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 24th, as of last August, the total number of vehicles that have not undergone automobile inspection for a long period reached 1,108,633.

On the 20th, when President Moon Jae-in reshuffled three ministries, Hwang Hee, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who was nominated as the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, expressed his thoughts at the National Assembly Members' Office Building. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Among these, vehicles that have not undergone automobile inspection for more than 10 years numbered 663,329, accounting for 59.8% of all uninspected vehicles.

Vehicles uninspected for over 5 years but within 10 years numbered 95,973 (8.7%), those uninspected for over 1 year but within 5 years were 172,560 (15.6%), and those uninspected within 1 year were 176,771 (15.9%).

The highest number of vehicles uninspected for over 10 years was in Gyeonggi-do with 172,251 vehicles, followed by Seoul with 115,385, Gyeongbuk with 39,110, Incheon with 38,040, Gyeongnam with 37,609, and Busan with 35,074 vehicles.

Under the current Automobile Management Act, fines are imposed on vehicles that have exceeded the automobile inspection period, but even these fines are not being properly paid. Regarding the fine imposition status for uninspected vehicles, last year, fines totaling 73.2 billion KRW were imposed on 750,118 vehicles, but 112,512 vehicles did not pay the fines, resulting in unpaid amounts of 22.4 billion KRW (a non-payment rate of 30.6%). This year, up to August, fines totaling 64.4 billion KRW were imposed on 451,721 vehicles, but 33.7 billion KRW remains unpaid to date.

Representative Hwang said, "Vehicles that have habitually not undergone automobile inspections for a long time are highly likely to be 'ghost cars' that are also uninsured," adding, "These ticking time bombs on the roads, whose safety has not been confirmed, are running unprotected across the country today, posing a serious risk to public safety. Therefore, it is necessary for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, local governments, and the National Police Agency to strengthen joint crackdowns and prepare fundamental countermeasures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.