Traffic Fine Notices to Arrive via KakaoTalk... Violation Footage Instantly Viewable on Smartphones

PASS and AlimTalk pilot service to launch on November 18
Text message notices excluded to prevent smishing

Starting November 18, people will be able to receive traffic fine notices through KakaoTalk and PASS, a mobile identity verification app, and view footage of the violations on their phones.

The National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Reporter Kim Hyunmin.

According to the National Police Agency on November 15, the "Mobile Electronic Notice Service for Traffic Fines and Violation Photos and Videos" will be piloted through December 9. The measure aims to address the inconvenience of notices being sent only by mail, which often resulted in people missing payment deadlines when they were away. More than 41.34 million paper notices were sent last year.

Electronic notices will be sent in stages. A notice will first be sent through KakaoTalk's AlimTalk service. If it is not viewed within 24 hours, an additional electronic notice will be sent through PASS. A paper notice will be mailed under the existing procedure only if the PASS notice is also not viewed within 24 hours.

People will also be able to view photos and videos taken when traffic violations occurred on their phones without visiting a police station. They can do so by tapping "View Violation Footage" in the electronic notice or scanning the QR code printed on a paper notice and completing identity verification. To prevent a surge in traffic, the police will initially make the video viewing feature available for preliminary fine notices and first payment notices, and plan to expand it later to include second payment reminders and other notices.

Text messages will not be used at all to prevent payment scams involving messages impersonating the National Police Agency, known as smishing. KakaoTalk notices will be sent only through the official "National Police Agency Traffic" channel, which uses a background design certified for public institutions. PASS notices will likewise be delivered within the app only through verified institutions.

Ko Pyeonggi, head of the National Police Agency's Public Safety and Traffic Bureau, said, "We will continue to carefully examine whether there are any inconveniences from the public's perspective and work harder to innovate police services in ways that people can feel."

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