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South Korea Enforces 5-Day Driving Ban for Public Sector Amid Oil Crisis

The South Korean government will strictly enforce a mandatory five-day vehicle restriction system for the public sector starting Wednesday, responding to heightened tensions in the Middle East and potential oil supply disruptions. The system, which divides vehicles by license plate numbers to prohibit driving on a specific weekday, had previously been loosely implemented. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will monitor compliance, issue penalties for non-compliance in public institutions, and encourage voluntary participation from the private sector. Additional measures include adjusting corporate working hours to ease traffic demand and increasing nuclear power generation to reduce reliance on liquefied natural gas.

Key Points: S. Korea Enforces 5-Day Vehicle Restriction for Public Sector

  • Mandatory 5-day driving ban for public sector
  • System based on license plate numbers
  • Electric/hydrogen vehicles exempt
  • Private sector urged to join voluntarily
  • Measures to reduce LNG and coal power use
2 min read

S. Korea to strictly enforce 5-day vehicle restriction system for public sector

South Korea strictly enforces a 5-day driving ban for public sector vehicles to conserve oil amid Middle East tensions and supply disruptions.

"The government will strictly enforce a mandatory five-day vehicle restriction system for the public sector to respond to possible oil supply disruption - Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment"

Seoul, March 24

The government will strictly enforce a mandatory five-day vehicle restriction system for the public sector to respond to possible oil supply disruption amid persisting tensions in the Middle East while implementing additional energy-saving measures, the climate ministry said on Tuesday.

Starting Wednesday, the government will beef up monitoring of the public sector's compliance with the five-day driving restriction system, under which cars are divided into five groups based on their license plate numbers and each group is prohibited from driving on a designated weekday, according to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.

The system has been in place but run loosely. Electric and hydrogen vehicles are exempt from such restrictions, reports Yonhap news agency.

In detail, the ministry will distribute a detailed guideline on the public sector's implementation of the system and push for penalties against public institutions that fail to comply with the rules.

The government will advise the private sector to voluntarily participate in the program amid growing uncertainties surrounding crude supplies, and consider making the system mandatory for the private sector as well if a Level 3 national resource crisis alert is issued for oil supply.

The ministry said it decided to adopt such a system as the government raised the alert last week over a possible disruption in the crude oil supply by a notch to Level 2 in South Korea's four-tier national resource security crisis warning system.

It will also ask the top 50 companies in terms of oil consumption to devise energy-saving plans and provide incentives to those who meet energy consumption reduction targets while calling on public institutions and large corporations to temporarily adjust working hours to help even out traffic demand for effective energy consumption.

Additionally, the government will ease restrictions on coal-fired power generation on days with low fine dust levels and push for swift operation resumptions of five nuclear reactors currently under maintenance as part of efforts to reduce consumption of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is also affected by the Mideast crisis.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good move. The public sector should lead by example. In India, government vehicles are often the biggest offenders of traffic rules. A strict system with penalties is needed here too. Hope our ministries are taking notes.
A
Aman W
Exempting electric and hydrogen vehicles is a smart incentive. We need more such policies in India to push EV adoption. But the infrastructure has to be there first. Can't just copy-paste solutions.
S
Sarah B
While the intent is good, making it mandatory for the private sector during a crisis seems harsh. What about people whose livelihoods depend on their vehicles? The article mentions adjusting work hours, which is a more practical solution.
V
Vikram M
The Middle East tensions affect us all. India is also heavily dependent on oil imports. Such contingency planning is crucial. Our government should have clear, communicated plans for fuel rationing in case of a real supply shock. Jai Hind.
K
Karthik V
They are restarting nuclear reactors and easing coal restrictions. Shows that in a real crisis, environmental goals take a back seat to energy security. A tough but necessary reality check. Hope we are diversifying our energy sources too.

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