Seoul's Dongdaemun-gu has introduced a Hi-Pass payment system at the Jeonong 1-dong B Lot No. 08 parking facility, located on an overpass behind Cheongnyangni Station, with a pilot program launching Monday.
The system works the same way as highway toll Hi-Pass: when a vehicle equipped with a Hi-Pass terminal approaches the exit, the parking fee is automatically charged.
The lot is a key transit hub directly connected to the third-floor concourse of Cheongnyangni Station, drawing an average of more than 2,340 vehicles a month. The high volume of traffic has long caused chronic congestion at the exit.
To ease that congestion and improve convenience while preventing confusion during the early rollout, the district split the exit into two lanes — keeping the existing exit in place while adding a dedicated Hi-Pass payment lane. Vehicles without a Hi-Pass terminal, as well as those requiring manual fare reductions such as families with multiple children or pregnant drivers, can continue to use the regular exit or a pre-payment kiosk as before.
Based on the pilot results, the district plans to gradually expand the Hi-Pass payment system to other large public parking lots in the area with high usage and turnover rates.
"The Hi-Pass terminal penetration rate in South Korea exceeds 90 percent, so we expect this system to dramatically reduce exit congestion and improve convenience for users," Dongdaemun-gu District Mayor Choi Dong-min said. "We will continue to do our best to create a convenient and smart parking environment that residents can feel in their daily lives."
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