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Busan to Conduct Trial Enforcement of Driving Restrictions on Grade 5 Emissions Vehicles

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that it will conduct trial enforcement of driving restrictions on Grade 5 emissions vehicles throughout the city ahead of the 8th Seasonal Fine Dust Management Program.

The trial enforcement is intended to give advance notice of the driving restrictions that will be implemented during the seasonal management period from December this year through March next year, encourage vehicle owners to take low-emission measures, and minimize public confusion.

• ●Grade 5 emissions vehicles: Vehicles subject to manufacturing standards prior to July 1, 2002, for diesel vehicles and prior to 1987 for gasoline and gas-powered vehicles.

The trial enforcement will be conducted in two rounds: the first from October 12 to 23 and the second from November 9 to 20.

Enforcement hours will be from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, excluding weekends and public holidays. Emergency vehicles, vehicles displaying disability permits, vehicles that have completed low-emission measures, and other exempt vehicles will not be subject to enforcement.

No fines will be imposed on vehicles identified during the trial enforcement periods. Instead, drivers will be informed of the driving restrictions during the seasonal management period and encouraged to participate in low-emission measures.

The Seasonal Fine Dust Management Program is a policy under which enhanced fine dust reduction measures are implemented from December through March of the following year, when high concentrations of fine dust occur frequently, to reduce the damage and impacts caused by fine dust.

Busan Metropolitan City has implemented the seasonal management program seven times since December 2019. As a result, the concentration of ultrafine particulate matter has improved by approximately 32 percent compared with the level before the program was introduced. In addition, over the past six years, Busan has maintained the lowest annual average concentration of ultrafine particulate matter among Korea's seven special and metropolitan cities.

As of the end of September this year, approximately 22,000 Grade 5 vehicles in Busan had not undergone low-emission measures, down 68 percent from 69,000 in September 2021, before enforcement of the driving restrictions began.

During the 8th Seasonal Fine Dust Management Program, Busan Metropolitan City plans to implement further strengthened reduction measures in addition to the driving restrictions, including inspections of businesses suspected of illegal fine dust emissions and emissions inspections of vehicles in operation.

To reduce road dust, the city will designate 34 routes as priority roads for controlling resuspended road dust and increase cleaning frequency on those routes to at least two to four times per day.

The city will also inspect businesses suspected of illegal fine dust emissions, strengthen emissions inspections of vehicles in operation, and inspect indoor air quality at facilities used by large numbers of people.

• ●Resuspended road dust: Particulate matter deposited on roads from vehicle exhaust, tire wear, brake pad wear, and other sources that becomes airborne again due to the movement of vehicles.

Moon Jeong-ju, Director-General of the Climate and Environment Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, said, “The trial enforcement of the driving restrictions is intended to minimize public confusion by providing advance notice of the restrictions on Grade 5 emissions vehicles before the seasonal management program takes effect.”

“We ask for the public’s active cooperation in helping Busan maintain the cleanest air among Korea’s seven special and metropolitan cities and preserve the city’s clean-air brand, ‘Busan Air Clean Air,’” Moon added.