The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. [Herald DB]
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. [Herald DB]

Complaints related to electric vehicle charging have risen consistently over the past three years, nearly doubling compared to last year. The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said Tuesday it expects the trend to continue, issuing a "complaint advisory" and presenting recommended improvements to relevant agencies.

The commission released an analysis of 173,305 EV charging-related complaints collected in its Civil Complaint Information Analysis System from August 2023 through July this year. The system is a pan-government platform the commission operates that aggregates and analyzes big data from complaints submitted through the National Sinmungo portal and local government complaint channels.

The analysis found that EV charging complaints have increased steadily each year. The monthly average last year reached 6,578 cases — 1.8 times the monthly average of 3,683 recorded in 2023.

The most common complaint types included reports of violations in charging zone use, demands for better management and expansion of charging facilities, and reports of other charging-related infractions. Recurring complaints involved non-EV vehicles occupying dedicated charging spaces for extended periods, and fully charged vehicles failing to vacate spots, preventing other users from charging.

Additional complaints involved chargers left broken or card readers left malfunctioning for months, theft of electricity through personal converters, illegal charging by unauthorized access to public electrical panels, and objects left blocking charging zones.

In response, the commission presented three areas for improvement — stronger management of charging zones, better upkeep and expanded supply of charging infrastructure, and stricter order in EV charging use — and shared the findings with relevant agencies to inform policy responses.

The commission also released Tuesday its big data trends report on complaints collected in the Civil Complaint Information Analysis System for July.

Total complaints in July reached about 1.36 million, down 5.3 percent from the previous month's approximately 1.44 million and down 2.6 percent from the same month last year's approximately 1.4 million.

By region, North Jeolla Province recorded the largest month-on-month increase at 6.3 percent, driven mainly by complaints reporting illegal parking at crosswalks and in spaces designated for people with disabilities.

By institution type, complaints to central government agencies rose 2.0 percent, while those directed at local governments fell 6.7 percent, education offices fell 2.6 percent, and public institutions dropped 17.6 percent.

Among central government agencies, the Financial Services Commission stood out with a 198.7 percent month-on-month surge to 2,097 complaints, driven by demands for measures to address the reduction or suspension of group loans under household lending caps.

Among local governments, Ulleung-gun in North Gyeongsang Province received 130 complaints — up 73.3 percent from the previous month — largely over demands for hotel construction completion permits. Among education offices, the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education logged 4,478 complaints, a 23.9 percent increase, driven largely by calls to open new elementary schools in time for move-ins to new towns.

Among public institutions, the Korea Inclusive Finance Agency topped the list for the largest complaint increase, receiving 259 complaints — up 129.2 percent from the previous month — many related to appeals against disqualification from the Youth Future Savings Account program.


rimsclub@heraldcorp.com