A tollgate on a South Korean expressway [Newsis]
A tollgate on a South Korean expressway [Newsis]

Drivers who accidentally take the wrong exit on a South Korean expressway will be exempt from the base toll if they re-enter through the same tollgate within 15 minutes.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced Tuesday that it will introduce a "mistaken exit toll waiver" system starting Thursday.

The waiver applies to vehicles that exit by mistake at a closed-type tollgate on a publicly funded expressway managed by Korea Expressway Corporation and re-enter within 15 minutes. The base toll waived is 900 won.

Only vehicles using electronic payment methods such as Hi-Pass are eligible, and the waiver can be applied up to three times per vehicle per year.

Until now, drivers who immediately turned back through the same tollgate were still required to pay the base toll twice. The policy also posed a safety risk, as some drivers made abrupt lane changes to avoid paying the duplicate charge.

The ministry said 90.2 percent of re-entering vehicles fall within the three-times-a-year threshold, and estimated the measure would reduce toll collections by about 7.5 million cases annually, worth 6.8 billion won ($5 million).

The policy applies only to publicly funded expressways. Drivers who exit at a privately operated expressway tollgate and re-enter through the same gate will not receive the base toll waiver.

The ministry also urged drivers to take advantage of a weekend and public holiday toll discount for multi-child households, which has been in effect since July 28.

Households with three or more minor children receive a 20 percent discount, while those with two minor children receive 10 percent. The program runs for three years through Aug. 21, 2029, and drivers can register in advance on Korea Expressway Corporation's toll website or apply in person at a toll office.

"The inconvenience of having to pay the base toll twice due to a mistaken exit will be resolved by this system," said Jeong Cheon-u, head of the ministry's road policy division. "We will also strengthen outreach so that drivers do not miss out on benefits from programs already in place, such as the multi-child household discount."


husn7@heraldcorp.com