Tag: driving in Korea

Speed Cameras in Korea: Fines, Speed Limits and Who Gets the Ticket

A speed camera proves a car was speeding. It doesn’t prove who was driving. Korean law handles that with a separate fine for camera cases, sent to whoever is responsible for the car. So after a camera flash, the question is not only how much, but who the bill goes to.

This guide covers Korea’s default speed limits, the two kinds of speeding penalty, what each one costs, and how it works when the car was a rental.

The short answer

Speed limits: 50 km/h by default in residential, commercial and industrial areas, and up to 100 km/h on most expressways, with 120 km/h on some designated sections. Posted signs can set a different limit.
Camera tickets: when the driver isn’t identified, the fine goes to the person responsible for the car, and the law counts a renter as that person.
Cost: for a passenger car, KRW 40,000 to 130,000 depending on how far over the limit you were. School zones and senior or disability protection zones cost more between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Rental cars: the government’s model rental contract makes the renter responsible for traffic fines from the rental period, even after the car is returned.

Speed limits in Korea

Default limits are set in Article 19 of the Enforcement Rule of the Road Traffic Act (도로교통법 시행규칙). They apply unless a sign says otherwise.

Road	Maximum	Minimum
Ordinary roads in residential, commercial and industrial areas	50 km/h (60 km/h on sections the provincial police designate)	None set
Other ordinary roads	60 km/h (80 km/h with two or more lanes each way)	None set
Motor-vehicle-only roads (자동차전용도로)	90 km/h	30 km/h
Expressways, one lane each way	80 km/h	50 km/h
Expressways, two or more lanes each way	100 km/h (80 km/h for trucks over 1.5 metric tons of load capacity, special vehicles, hazardous-materials carriers and construction machinery)	50 km/h
Expressway sections designated by the National Police Agency	Up to 120 km/h (up to 90 km/h for the same vehicle types)	50 km/h

In miles, 30 km/h is about 19 mph, 50 km/h about 31 mph, 100 km/h about 62 mph and 120 km/h about 75 mph (our conversions).

Bad weather lowers the limit. The same article cuts the maximum by 20% on roads wet from rain or with snow under 20 mm. It cuts it by 50% when heavy rain, snow or fog drops visibility to 100 meters or less, when the road is icy, or when snow is 20 mm or deeper. Where a variable speed limit sign is posted, its limit applies instead.

School zones are slower. Article 12 of the Road Traffic Act lets local governments limit traffic near schools, kindergartens and similar facilities to 30 km/h or less. Follow the posted number rather than assuming one.

Who a camera ticket goes to

The police and local governments may install unmanned enforcement equipment under Article 4-2 of the Road Traffic Act. What that equipment records is the car.

Article 160(3) covers that gap. When speeding is shown by a photo, video or other recorded image, and either the driver can’t be identified or a driver’s fine can’t be issued, an administrative fine (과태료) of up to KRW 200,000 can go to the vehicle’s “employer and others” (고용주등).

Article 56(1) defines that group widely. It covers a driver’s employer and anyone who manages or uses the vehicle. It also names people who rent a business vehicle under the Passenger Transport Service Act, which covers car rental businesses. Leased cars are covered too.

So a camera case starts with the administrative fine for the person responsible. The other route is a driver’s fine (범칙금), issued to an identified driver through a notice. That is a separate process, not a cheaper option you pick from the table below.

Under Article 160(4), the administrative fine is not imposed if the driver has already received a driver’s fine. It is also not imposed if the real driver is identified when you submit your opinion or an objection to the notice. And it is not imposed on a rental company when it is clear the company only rented the car out.

How much a speeding fine costs

The amounts below are for the “passenger car” class (승용자동차등). The driver’s-fine table defines it as passenger cars and trucks of 4 metric tons or less, and the camera-fine tables use the same class name. Vans and buses (승합자동차), larger trucks and motorcycles have their own amounts.

Over the limit by	Camera fine to the person responsible (과태료)	Driver’s fine (범칙금)	Camera fine in a protection zone, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
20 km/h or less	KRW 40,000	KRW 30,000	KRW 70,000
Over 20, up to 40 km/h	KRW 70,000	KRW 60,000	KRW 100,000
Over 40, up to 60 km/h	KRW 100,000	KRW 90,000	KRW 130,000
Over 60 km/h	KRW 130,000	KRW 120,000	KRW 160,000

The camera fine comes from Annex 6 of the Enforcement Decree of the Road Traffic Act, the driver’s fine from Annex 8. The protection zone column comes from Annex 7, which covers school zones and senior or disability protection zones. Article 88(4) of the decree applies it only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This guide covers the money only. The driver’s route can bring other consequences for a license record, and we haven’t covered those here.

Speeding fine calculator

Passenger cars and trucks of 4 metric tons or less only. Enter the posted limit and the speed the camera recorded.

Posted speed limit (km/h)

Recorded speed (km/h)

Road conditions

School, senior or disability protection zone?

Amounts from Annexes 6, 7 and 8 of the Enforcement Decree of the Road Traffic Act; weather rule from Article 19 of the Enforcement Rule. Last checked October 12, 2026. Where a variable speed limit sign is posted, its number is the limit. This is an estimate, not a legal decision.

Paying early and paying late

The administrative fine has its own rules under the Act on the Regulation of Violations of Public Order (질서위반행위규제법). Article 18 lets the agency reduce the fine if you pay voluntarily before the deadline for submitting your opinion, which the advance notice sets. The enforcement decree caps that reduction at 20%.

Paying the reduced amount closes the case. Under Article 88(6) of the Road Traffic Act decree, the fine is otherwise due within 60 days of receiving the payment notice. Article 88(7) warns that unpaid fines can collect a late-payment surcharge.

If you were driving a rental car

Two sets of rules point the same way. Under the Road Traffic Act, a renter counts as a person responsible for the car, and the rental company is excluded when it only rented the car out.

The contract side says the same. Article 16(2) of the Korea Fair Trade Commission’s model rental contract makes the renter responsible for traffic fines, parking fines and parking fees from the rental period, even after the car goes back. Your own company’s contract is what applies, so read its section on fines.

Payment can also run through your card. When we checked Lotte Rent-a-Car’s English rental page on October 9, 2026, it said charges such as fuel, tolls and fines are billed to your registered card after a key-drop return. None of these rules explain how a fine reaches you once you’ve left Korea, so ask the company before you drive off. For the rest of the counter process, see our guide to what Korean law and rental companies each require when you rent.

Fines aren’t the only charge that can reach you after the trip. Expressway tolls left unpaid at the exit can too, and our guide to Korea’s highway tolls and unpaid tolls shows how to check and pay them.

Checking and paying a fine

The Korean National Police Agency runs Traffic Civil Affairs 24 (교통민원24, also known as eFine) at efine.go.kr. Its menus include unpaid administrative fines (미납과태료) and unpaid driver’s fines (미납범칙금).

When we opened it on October 12, 2026, the site was in Korean only, with no language menu. Its login options are Korean identity checks: simple authentication, financial or joint certificates, and a mobile ID. The site doesn’t say whether visitors without these can log in.

The payment notice names the agency that issued the fine. If you think a fine is wrong, or you need to show someone else was driving, contact that agency or the police station named on the notice. A rental company can tell you what it charges under your contract, but it can’t decide the legal question.

Before you drive

Treat the posted sign as the limit, especially on city streets where the default is only 50 km/h.
Slow down in school zones and senior or disability protection zones, where daytime fines are higher.
Lower your speed in rain, snow or fog. The legal limit drops by 20% or 50% in those conditions.
If you rent, ask at pick-up how the company handles fines that arrive after you have left Korea, and keep your rental contract.

Last checked: October 12, 2026. Sources: Road Traffic Act, Articles 4-2, 12, 56 and 160, Enforcement Decree of the Road Traffic Act, Article 88 and Annexes 6, 7 and 8, Enforcement Rule of the Road Traffic Act, Article 19, Act on the Regulation of Violations of Public Order, Article 18 and its Enforcement Decree, Article 5 (Korean Law Information Center, in Korean); Standard Terms for Car Rental No. 10064 (Korea Fair Trade Commission, in Korean); Lotte Rent-a-Car rental information; Traffic Civil Affairs 24 (Korean National Police Agency, in Korean).

October 12, 2026

Car Rental in Korea for Foreigners: Law vs Company Rules

Renting a car in Korea as a foreigner involves two separate sets of rules. The law decides who may drive here at all. The rental company decides who it will hand the keys to, and its list is usually longer.

Mix them up and you can be turned away at the counter with a perfectly legal permit. This guide keeps them apart: what the statutes say, what one major rental company publishes on top, and what the government’s model rental contract says about insurance and damage.

The short answer

The law: visitors may drive a rental car on a recognized international driving permit (IDP), and rental companies must check the driver before handing over a car.
The company: age limits, permit types, card payment and similar conditions come from each company’s own terms, not from the law.
Insurance: basic liability cover comes with the car. Damage to the rental car itself needs separate cover, and without it that damage is yours to pay.
After the trip: traffic fines and parking charges from your rental period are still yours to pay.

What Korean law requires

Two laws do most of the work here: the Road Traffic Act (도로교통법) and the Passenger Transport Service Act (여객자동차 운수사업법), which regulates rental businesses.

Rule	Where it comes from	What it means for you
Visitors on an IDP may drive cars rented from a rental business	Road Traffic Act, Art. 96(2)	Rental cars are the exception to the ban on driving business-registered vehicles on a permit
Drive only the classes printed on your permit	Road Traffic Act, Art. 96(1)	A permit that covers cars only won’t cover a large van
Carry your license while driving	Road Traffic Act, Art. 92	Have the IDP itself on you while driving. A photo or scan won’t do
Rental companies must check the contracted driver’s qualification through the government’s license-check system	Passenger Transport Service Act, Art. 34-2(2)	The counter check is a legal duty, not just company caution
Fine for companies that break the checking rule	Passenger Transport Service Act, Art. 94(2), item 6-3	Up to KRW 5 million under the statute

Article 34-2 is written around Korean licenses and the government’s license-checking system. It doesn’t spell out how an IDP is checked.

Which permits count in the first place, and how the one-year limit from your entry date works, is covered in our guide to Korea’s international driving permit rules.

What the rental company adds

Everything beyond the law is contract terms. As an example, here is what Lotte Rent-a-Car lists on its English rental information page as of October 9, 2026. Other companies set their own conditions.

Age: drivers aged 21 to 79 on the pick-up date.
Permit type: an IDP stamped for class B, D or E for vehicles up to 9 seats. Its 15-seat vans need class D.
Original only: photocopies, PDFs and photos of the permit are not accepted. Permits from private organizations are refused.
Documents: passport, IDP, a local address and phone number in Korea.
Payment: a debit or credit card in the name of the renter, driver or companion. No cash.
Young drivers: a daily surcharge for drivers under 30 on the mainland.

None of these come from the Road Traffic Act. A different company can set a different age range or ask for different documents, so check the terms of the company you actually book with.

Insurance: what’s included and what you choose

The Korea Fair Trade Commission publishes a model car rental contract, the Standard Terms for Car Rental (자동차대여 표준약관, No. 10064, revised October 29, 2021). The commission recommends its use, but your own rental contract is what applies.

Included with the car. Article 11 says the company rents out cars covered by compulsory liability insurance plus comprehensive insurance for bodily injury to others, damage to other people’s property, and injuries to yourself (자기신체사고).

Damage to the rental car itself. That needs separate cover. The model terms give two forms: an own-damage insurance policy, or the company’s damage waiver (차량손해면책, usually sold as a CDW). Without either, Article 18(3) leaves you to pay for the damage yourself, assessed against the car’s value at the time of the accident. Some companies, Lotte among them, list the CDW as mandatory.

The deductible. Even with a CDW, you usually pay a set amount after an at-fault accident. Since the 2021 revision, Article 18(2) caps that amount at the actual repair cost.

Loss of use. Article 19 lets the company charge for rental income lost while the car is being repaired. If it offers no objective calculation, the charge is 50% of the daily rate you paid, for each repair day.

Check the coverage limits too. On the same Lotte page, cover for damage to other people’s property is listed at up to KRW 20 million per accident. Anything above a limit falls on you.

When cover doesn’t apply

Article 18(1) lists cases where you may get partial or no compensation. They include driving without a valid license, drunk driving, and accidents while someone not named on the contract was driving.

At pick-up and during the rental

Inspect the car with staff. Under Article 12 of the model terms, the company checks the car with you against an inspection sheet before handing it over. Photograph any marks you find.

Only named drivers. Article 15 bars anyone not listed on the contract from driving. The one exception is a professional designated-driver service used when the named driver can’t drive because of drinking or injury.

The driver must match the booking. Article 4(2) lets the company refuse the contract if the driver at pick-up is not the driver given when booking. Register a second driver in advance if you plan to share the driving.

Fines and charges after you return the car

Article 16(2) of the model terms makes the renter responsible for traffic fines, parking fines and parking fees from the rental period, even after the car goes back. Lotte’s page says that after a key-drop return outside business hours, charges such as fuel, tolls and fines are billed to your registered card.

Before you book

Confirm your IDP was issued under the Geneva or Vienna convention, or a bilateral agreement with Korea, and covers the vehicle class you want.
Read the company’s age, payment and document rules on its own website, not on a booking platform summary.
Decide on damage cover before you reach the counter, and note the deductible and loss-of-use terms.
If two people will drive, register both before pick-up.

For questions about whether a permit is legally valid, ask the Korean embassy or consulate in your country rather than the rental company.

Last checked: October 9, 2026. Sources: Road Traffic Act, Articles 92 and 96 and Passenger Transport Service Act, Articles 34-2 and 94 (Korean Law Information Center, in Korean); Standard Terms for Car Rental No. 10064 (Korea Fair Trade Commission, in Korean); Lotte Rent-a-Car rental information.

October 9, 2026

Driving in Korea as a Tourist: International Driving Permit Rules

Tourists can drive in Korea, but most need an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued under a road traffic convention Korea recognizes. A home license alone works only if Korea has a specific agreement with your country, and either way the right to drive lasts a limited time.

This guide walks through the rules as they appear in Korea’s Road Traffic Act (도로교통법), Article 96, in the version in force since July 1, 2026. We checked the list of countries against the United Nations treaty records in October 2026.

The short answer

Who can drive: visitors holding an IDP issued abroad under the 1949 Geneva Convention, the 1968 Vienna Convention or a bilateral IDP agreement, or a home license Korea recognizes under a bilateral agreement.
For how long: one year from the date you entered Korea.
What you can drive: only the vehicle classes printed on your permit.
What you can’t drive: vehicles registered for commercial passenger or freight transport, with one exception: cars rented from a rental business.

Which permits Korea accepts

Article 96 lists four kinds of documents. All of them must be issued by a competent authority in another country, so plan to get yours from your home country’s issuing organization before you travel.

Document	Legal basis	What it means for you
IDP under the 1949 Geneva Convention	Art. 96(1), item 1	Applies to visitors from Geneva countries such as the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Japan
IDP under the 1968 Vienna Convention	Art. 96(1), item 2	Covers countries like Germany and Brazil that joined Vienna but not Geneva
IDP under a bilateral IDP agreement	Art. 96(1), item 3	For countries that signed a separate permit agreement with Korea
Foreign license recognized under a bilateral agreement	Art. 96(1), item 4	Lets a home license be used directly, only where Korea has such an agreement

For most visitors, the first two rows are the ones that matter. The last two depend on country-by-country agreements, and we couldn’t find an official public list of them.

Is your country covered?

The UN treaty records list 103 parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention and 91 parties to the 1968 Vienna Convention as of October 8, 2026. Some countries belong to both. Here are some examples, not the full lists:

Geneva parties: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, France, Italy, Spain, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
Vienna parties not on the Geneva list: Germany, Brazil, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.

Mainland China is not a party to either convention. A Chinese mainland license or permit doesn’t fall under items 1 or 2. The Geneva record notes that China applies the convention to Hong Kong and Macao, so an IDP issued there under the 1949 Convention would fall under item 1.

If your country isn’t named here, check the UN status pages linked at the end of this guide. If it isn’t a party to either convention, ask the Korean embassy or consulate in your country before you plan a drive. A bilateral agreement may exist, but we can’t confirm one for you here.

What you can and can’t drive

Your permit sets the limit. Article 96 says you may drive only the vehicle classes listed on your IDP or recognized license. If your permit covers cars only, it doesn’t cover a motorcycle.

Article 96(2) also bars visitors from driving vehicles used in commercial passenger or freight transport. In practice, that means you can’t drive a taxi, bus or commercial truck on an IDP.

The same paragraph makes an exception for cars rented from a rental business under Korea’s passenger transport law. That exception is what lets tourists legally drive a rental car.

How the one-year limit works

The clock starts on the day you enter Korea, not the day your permit was issued. Article 96 allows driving for one year from the date of entry. After that, the permit no longer authorizes you to drive here.

Your IDP’s own validity matters too. An expired permit won’t cover you, even if you’re still inside that year.

The article doesn’t spell out how leaving and re-entering affects the count. If you’re close to the limit or come and go often, don’t assume the clock resets.

If you’re moving to Korea rather than visiting, an IDP isn’t a long-term solution. The one-year limit applies however long you stay, so residents need another route, such as converting a foreign license to a Korean one. Our guide to exchanging a foreign license for a Korean one covers who qualifies, which tests apply and the documents to bring.

One more exception

Article 96(3) says the permit doesn’t help someone who is still inside one of the waiting periods set by Article 82(2). Those periods bar certain people from getting a Korean license for a set time after specific violations. Most first-time visitors won’t be affected.

Carry it every time you drive

Article 92 requires every driver to carry a valid license while driving, and it names the IDP and the recognized foreign license under Article 96 as qualifying documents. Keep the permit itself with you whenever you’re behind the wheel.

Before you book a rental

Check three things at home. Make sure your IDP was issued under the Geneva or Vienna convention, or that your country has an agreement with Korea. Then confirm it lists the vehicle class you plan to rent and won’t expire during your trip.

Rental companies set their own age, experience and document rules on top of the law. Those vary by company, so confirm them when you book.

Last checked: October 8, 2026. Sources: Road Traffic Act, Articles 82, 92 and 96 (Korean Law Information Center, in Korean), UN Treaty Collection status pages for the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.

October 8, 2026