How do Korean camera fines reach a rental driver?
Korea has two kinds of traffic penalty. A police officer who stops you issues a fine to the driver, which for many offences also adds licence penalty points. A camera issues a fine to the car's registered owner, with no points and usually ₩10,000 more, as the two fine tables in the Enforcement Decree show. In a rental car, the registered owner is the rental company.
That changes the practical risk. A police stop is rare and resolved on the spot. Camera fines are frequent and arrive later. Article 160(4) of the Road Traffic Act bars the fine from being imposed on a rental company that clearly rented out only the car, and Daejeon city, for example, explains how a company asks for the renter to be substituted within the objection period. Some companies instead settle the fine and charge it to you, so ask at pickup which way yours works. For a visitor, the camera fine is the one Korean penalty that is almost always collected.
How many traffic cameras does Korea have?
A June 2026 Maeil Business Newspaper report, citing the National Police Agency, put the number of fixed, mobile and vehicle-mounted enforcement units at 30,248 at the end of April 2026, up from 8,982 at the end of 2019, with much of the growth in school zones. By the paper's own calculation that is roughly one unit for every 4 km of road.
Two things make them predictable:
- Fixed cameras must have a sign announcing the enforcement point or section, with extra plates marking where a section starts and ends, under annexed table 6-2 of the Enforcement Rule.
- Kakao Navi, TMAP and Naver Map give a voice warning before each camera with the limit.
What is not announced in advance: mobile roadside cameras and, since March 2022, speed-measuring equipment in unmarked expressway patrol cars, which Korea.kr describes as able to enforce anywhere on the expressway. Section cameras also measure your average speed between two points, so braking only at the second camera does not help.
How much are traffic fines in Korea?
The table shows passenger-car amounts from annexed tables 6 and 8 of the Enforcement Decree in force from 1 August 2026. The first figure is the police fine (범칙금), which for many offences also adds licence penalty points; the second is the camera fine (과태료) charged to the car's owner.
| Mistake | Police fine | Camera fine |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding up to 20 km/h over | ₩30,000 | ₩40,000 |
| Speeding 20–40 km/h over | ₩60,000 | ₩70,000 |
| Speeding 40–60 km/h over | ₩90,000 | ₩100,000 |
| Speeding more than 60 km/h over | ₩120,000 | ₩130,000 |
| Red light, including turning right against a red right-turn light | ₩60,000 | ₩70,000 |
| Blue bus lane on a city road | ₩40,000 | ₩50,000 per camera |
| Stuck in the intersection when the light changes | ₩40,000 | ₩50,000 |
| Left-lane hogging on the expressway | ₩40,000 | ₩50,000 on video |
| Illegal U-turn or crossing the centre line | ₩60,000 | ₩70,000 for a U-turn |
In a school zone between 08:00 and 20:00, the decree's separate tables 7 and 10 apply and fines roughly double: a red light is ₩120,000 (₩130,000 by camera) and up to 20 km/h over is ₩60,000 (₩70,000). Under the Road Traffic Act, more than 80 km/h over the limit is a criminal offence punishable by a fine or detention, and more than 100 km/h over carries a fine of up to ₩1 million.
The five rules to learn before you drive
Right turn on red means stop first
Since January 2023, annexed table 2 of the Enforcement Rule has said that on a red signal a car turning right must first stop before the stop line, crosswalk or intersection, then turn without obstructing traffic moving on its own signal. If the corner has its own right-turn signal and it shows red, you may not turn. Article 27 of the Road Traffic Act, amended from July 2022, also requires you to stop for a pedestrian who is about to cross, not only one already crossing.
U-turns only where marked
A U-turn is allowed only under a U-turn sign with a broken centre line. A small plate often adds a condition: 좌회전시 (only on the left-turn arrow) or 보행신호시 (only on the pedestrian green). If you miss your turn, let the app route you to the next legal spot.
Blue lines belong to buses
In Seoul, centre-road bus lanes run 24 hours a day, all year, according to the city's bus-lane figures. Kerbside lanes run on weekdays: Seoul's guidance gives 07:00 to 21:00 for lanes marked with a double blue line and 07:00 to 10:00 plus 17:00 to 21:00 for a single line, but the sign above the lane is what counts. Each camera that records you issues its own fine. On the Gyeongbu Expressway, the bus lane has run from Yangjae to near Anseong on weekdays and from Yangjae to Sintanjin on Saturdays and holidays since June 2024, as Korea.kr reported; Seoul gives its hours as 07:00 to 21:00. Under annexed table 1 of the Enforcement Decree, a passenger car or van with 9 or more seats may use an expressway bus lane, but one with 12 seats or fewer only with 6 or more people aboard.
School zones are 30 km/h
Red road surface and yellow signs mark them. At a crosswalk without signals inside a school zone, the Road Traffic Act requires you to stop every time.
The expressway's left lane is for passing
On an expressway with two or more lanes each way, annexed table 9 of the Enforcement Rule reserves the first lane for overtaking, unless heavy traffic keeps speeds below 80 km/h. Overtake, then move right.
Decision: how to drive a week in Korea without a fine
- Before leaving the rental lot, set up Kakao Navi, TMAP or Naver Map and turn on voice guidance.
- Drive at the limit the app shows, not the speed of surrounding traffic.
- At every right turn on red, stop fully; at corners with an arrow light, wait for green.
- Treat any blue lane and any red road surface as a reason to slow down and read the signs.
- After you return the car, keep the rental contract for a few months. If a fine appears on your card or a notice reaches you, ask for the date, place and violation.
For what to do if the car is towed, see what to do if your car is towed in Seoul. For license and insurance questions before pickup, see renting a car on Jeju as a foreign visitor, which applies to rentals anywhere in Korea.