South Korean lawmakers are pushing for stricter regulations on the use of personal mobility devices (PMDs) such as electric scooters and kickboards. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – In the wake of heightened safety concerns, partly sparked by an incident involving Suga, a member of the K-pop group BTS, South Korean lawmakers are pushing for stricter regulations on the use of personal mobility devices (PMDs) such as electric scooters and kickboards.
Several bills have been introduced in the National Assembly aimed at curbing drunk and unlicensed operation of these increasingly popular vehicles. The legislative push comes as statistics show a rising trend in PMD-related accidents across the country.
Representative Lim Ho-seon of the Democratic Party has proposed an amendment to the Road Traffic Act that would equate drunk driving of PMDs with that of automobiles in terms of penalties. The bill also includes a provision to reduce the maximum speed of PMDs from the current 25 km/h to 20 km/h for safer operation.
Under current law, drunk driving of a PMD is punishable by a fine of up to 200,000 won or detention. In contrast, drunk driving of a car can result in imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 20 million won, depending on the blood alcohol concentration.
“The social damage caused by drunk driving of PMDs is increasing,” Lim said, arguing that the current penalties are too lenient given the severity of the offense.
In a separate bill, Rep. Lee Byeong-jin has proposed mandating PMD rental businesses to verify users’ driving qualifications before renting out devices. Violations would incur fines of up to 5 million won.
Rep. Lee Choon-suak has introduced legislation to increase penalties for unlicensed operation of motorized bicycles, which includes many PMDs. The proposed fine would increase from 300,000 won to 1 million won.
These legislative efforts come in response to alarming accident statistics. According to the National Police Agency and the Korea Road Traffic Authority, there were 7,854 traffic accidents involving PMDs as the offending vehicle in the past five years (2019-2023), resulting in 87 deaths and 8,665 injuries.
Police data shows 8,238 cases of drunk PMD driving in 2022 and 7,037 cases in 2023. Over the past two years, an average of 250 alcohol-related PMD accidents occurred annually, causing four deaths and 550 injuries.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
