Violation of traffic laws by foreign diplomats in Korea sinks last year

Violation of traffic laws by foreign diplomats in Korea fell sharply last year as Seoul pressed embassies to pay traffic fines, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

The number of traffic tickets issued to foreign diplomats dropped 41 percent from a year earlier to 611 in 2011, the ministry said in a report, citing data from police.

Because of their diplomatic immunity, foreign diplomats who fail to pay traffic fines are not prosecuted. As a result, about 60 percent of traffic fines imposed on foreign diplomats went unpaid last year, the ministry said.

Since 2009, the ministry has taken administrative measures against foreign embassies which fail to pay the fines by restraining them from buying new vehicles or selling their used cars. (Yonhap)