South Korean Officials Caught Illegally Assigning 'Gold' License Plates

Gwangju, South Korea – Fourteen public officials, both current and former, have been implicated in a scheme to illegally secure coveted "gold" license plates for vehicles. The investigation, conducted by the Gwangju Seo-gu District Office, revealed that these officials manipulated the vehicle registration system to assign desirable number combinations, such as '5555' and '7979,' to specific cars.

Authorities uncovered that the officials allegedly colluded with vehicle registration agencies, often accepting favors like dinner invitations. They would intercept desirable license plate numbers generated randomly during the vehicle registration process. Instead of allowing these numbers to be assigned randomly, they would either register them and then cancel them, or hold them in reserve. In some cases, they directly assigned these "gold" numbers to vehicles upon request from registration agencies.

The investigation was triggered by a complaint filed through the National Civil Petitions Center in January. Over the past three months, the district office examined approximately 250,000 vehicle registration records from the last three years. This review identified over 350 instances where license plate numbers were not assigned through the standard random selection process but were directly inputted.

Of the 14 officials identified, six face disciplinary action, four received reprimands or warnings, and four contract workers are also subject to disciplinary measures similar to those for public officials. The district office stated that while similar cases might exist, the investigation was limited to the last three years due to the statute of limitations.

The Seo-gu District Office plans to refer the case to the police for further investigation into potential violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and the Automobile Management Act. This scandal highlights a misuse of public office for personal or illicit gain, undermining public trust in the vehicle registration process.

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Similar cases may exist, but we only investigated the last three years considering the statute of limitations.