The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE, Minister Kim Sunghwan) announced that, effective April 8th, it will implement an odd-even vehicle restriction system for passenger cars at public institutions and a five-day rotation system (weekday-based) for passenger cars at public parking lots operated by public institutions.

This measure is being taken to further strengthen energy demand management following the issuance of the “ ” level of the resource security crisis as of April 2.

First, the five-day rotation system for passenger cars at public institutions, which has been strengthened and in effect since March 25, will be significantly tightened to an odd-even system. The applicable institutions, consistent with those under the five-day system, include central administrative agencies, public institutions, local governments, provincial offices of education, and national and public elementary, middle, and high schools, totaling approximately 11,000 institutions. 

Under the odd-even system, vehicles with license plates ending in odd numbers are allowed to operate on odd-numbered days, while those ending in even numbers are allowed on even-numbered days. 

On March 17, when emergency fine dust reduction measures were in place, the same odd-even vehicle restriction system for public institutions was also implemented in the Seoul metropolitan area and South Chungcheong Province.

The measure applies not only to commuting vehicles but also to official vehicles. However, vehicles previously exempt under the five-day system will continue to be exempt. These include vehicles carrying persons with disabilities or pregnant women, electric and hydrogen vehicles, vehicles used by employees who have difficulty commuting via public transportation, and other vehicles deemed necessary by the head of a public institution. However, vehicles of visitors to public institutions will be subject to the five-day rotation system, reflecting the intent of the five-day system applied to public parking lots.

The MCEE plans to distribute implementation guidelines to public institutions nationwide (Apr. 2), requesting thorough preparation, regular inspections, and stricter management of violations by the heads of public institutions. It also proposed measures such as dispersing commuting hours through flexible work arrangements, refraining from non-essential business trips, and promoting the use of video conferencing.

Public parking lots operated by public institutions will implement a five-day rotation system for passenger cars. The applicable facilities include approximately 30,000 on-street and off-street paid parking lots (around 1 million parking spaces) operated by public institutions, including local governments. Parking lots deemed difficult to implement due to local conditions, as determined by the heads of public institutions, including local government leaders, may be exempted.

Under the five-day rotation system, a weekday-based restriction is applied, for example, vehicles with license plates ending in 1 or 6 are restricted on Mondays, and those ending in 3 or 8 are restricted on Wednesdays. However, vehicles for persons with disabilities, vehicles carrying pregnant women or preschool children, electric and hydrogen vehicles, and special-purpose vehicles such as those used for emergency, medical, police, and firefighting purposes are exempt. In addition, heads of public institutions may accept applications and grant exemptions for vehicles deemed essential for livelihood or otherwise unavoidable. The MCEE plans to distribute detailed implementation guidelines (Apr. 2) in cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which oversees parking facilities.

※ Light vehicles and hybrid vehicles are subject to the public institution odd-even system and the public parking lot five-day rotation system.

In addition, for the private sector, the five-day rotation system for passenger cars will remain voluntary, while any mandatory implementation will be carefully reviewed by comprehensively considering factors such as energy supply conditions, public inconvenience, and economic impact.

Oh Ilyoung, Deputy Minister for Climate and Energy Policy Office at the MCEE, stated at a briefing that day, “Given the severity of the situation, we ask for your understanding and cooperation as we were unable to provide sufficient preparation time to public institutions.” He added, “In particular, we ask local governments to minimize inconvenience to residents through sufficient prior notice and thorough preparation in implementing the five-day rotation system at public parking lots.” 

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division. 

Contact person: Gina Lee, foreign media spokesperson

Phone: +82-44-201-6055

Email: gcjgina @gmail.com