Habitual toll dodgers face surcharges 10 times the original fee

A view of a highway in South Korea [Yonhap]
A view of a highway in South Korea [Yonhap]

Korea Expressway Corporation said it is stepping up enforcement against habitual and deliberate toll evaders while expanding payment options for ordinary drivers, as unpaid highway tolls continue to rise.

Vehicles that fail to pay tolls 20 or more times within a year face a surcharge of up to 10 times the original toll amount. For repeat or high-value delinquents, the corporation is pursuing strong legal and administrative measures, including bank account seizures, forced vehicle impoundment and criminal referrals. The corporation also plans to use AI technology to predict and track the movements of vehicles with unpaid tolls, further improving enforcement efficiency.

[Provided by Korea Expressway Corporation]
[Provided by Korea Expressway Corporation]

The impact of AI-assisted enforcement has grown sharply. Before the technology was introduced, enforcement efforts recovered around 1.3 billion won ($950,000) in 2023. Last year, that figure jumped to approximately 2.28 billion won.

The corporation is also expanding joint crackdowns with the Korean National Police Agency and local governments, and is pushing to introduce a license plate confiscation regime for habitual evaders. Such joint enforcement is already permitted under several existing laws, including the Local Tax Act, the Act on the Regulation of Violations of Public Order, the Compulsory Automobile Liability Security Act, the Road Traffic Act and the Automobile Management Act.

When a missed payment stems from a simple mistake or oversight, the corporation said it will notify drivers promptly to prevent the debt from growing and make it easier to settle unpaid tolls quickly.

Payments can be made at Korea Expressway Corporation offices and highway rest stops, as well as at convenience stores nationwide. Drivers can also pay through the corporation's website, its mobile app, the National Secretary platform and other private apps, or by calling its customer center. The corporation also plans to send immediate notifications via KakaoTalk alerts and public and private app notifications whenever a toll goes unpaid, to encourage prompt settlement.

"Going forward, we will establish a virtuous cycle of management — preventing missed payments before they occur, providing swift notification, enabling convenient payment and responding firmly to habitual evasion — to reduce the number of unpaid tolls at the source," a Korea Expressway Corporation official said.


hss@heraldcorp.com