By Park Si-soo
Staff reporter
The government is moving to get tough on diplomats who violate traffic rules and refuse to pay fines.
Starting next year, police will have easier access to information on diplomats' accused of having unpaid fines relating to traffic violations, in a move to put extra pressure on foreign embassies refusing to pay.
The Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs said Thursday it will complete taking over all data regarding nearly 1,500 diplomats' cars from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade ― that had supervised them ― in January and will handle it the same as other car information, which is freely available to police.
The data to be transferred includes vehicle owners, outstanding fines and car insurance.
"This came in response to chronic complaints from police that they have to take cumbersome steps for approval to reach out for the information strictly controlled by the foreign ministry," said Kim Byeong-soo, a government official familiar with the issue. "If the transfer is made, police will be able to handle accidents involving a diplomat's vehicle more easily."
This control shift came amid growing complaints from the government and police that diplomats here abuse their immunity to avoid paying fines relating to traffic infractions.
Nearly 93 percent of fines levied for traffic violations on diplomats' vehicles, or 228 million won ($181,200), remains unpaid, the ministry said.
In an extreme example, the Russian and Ukrainian embassies in Seoul are refusing to pay traffic-related fines that have been issued over the past three years, it said.
According to Rep. Hong Jung-wook of the ruling Grand National Party, 212 traffic violations by diplomats' cars were reported in 2008, up from 175 in 2007 and 18 in 2006.
Rep. Hong said only 13 percent of diplomats caught for speeding paid their fines on time in 2008, down from 17 percent in 2007, citing data collected by the foreign ministry. In 2008, 2,300 parking violations by diplomats were reported, down from 3,600 in 2007.