Seatbelts mandatory for all passengers from Friday

Buckle up, everyone. Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

Starting tomorrow, all car passengers will have to buckle up.

The National Police Agency said Thursday that a new enforcement ordinance requiring all car passengers to wear seatbelts on Korea's roads will come into force on Friday.

A driver will be fined 30,000 won ($27) if any passenger violates the rule. The fine will be 60,000 won if the passenger is 13 or younger.

Police said they are planning to start cracking down on seatbelt violations in December, after a two-month awareness campaign.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, passengers in rear seats are less likely to buckle up (14.8 percent), compared with drivers (88.4 percent) and front-seat passengers (81.4 percent).