South Korea Restricts Car Use By Public Employees

by Zulfick Farzan 24-03-2026 | 9:58 AM

COLOMBO (News 1st); South Korea is moving to strictly enforce a mandatory five-day vehicle restriction system for the public sector as it braces for possible disruptions to oil supplies stemming from prolonged tensions in the Middle East, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said Tuesday.

From Wednesday, the government will intensify oversight of public sector compliance with the system, which limits vehicle use based on license plate numbers.

Under the arrangement, cars are divided into five groups, with each group barred from driving on one designated weekday.

Although the system has existed for some time, authorities acknowledged that enforcement has been lax. Electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles will remain exempt.

To strengthen implementation, the ministry will issue detailed guidelines outlining how public institutions must apply the restrictions and will pursue penalties against organizations that fail to follow the rules.

The government also plans to encourage voluntary participation from the private sector as uncertainty surrounding crude oil supplies grows. Officials said the system could be expanded to become mandatory for private companies if a Level 3 national resource crisis alert is declared for oil supply.

According to the ministry, the tighter measures follow the government’s decision last week to raise the crude oil supply alert to Level 2 under South Korea’s four-tier national resource security crisis warning system, citing concerns over potential supply disruptions.

As part of broader energy-saving efforts, the government will ask the top 50 oil-consuming companies to develop energy reduction plans and will offer incentives to those that meet consumption targets. Public institutions and large corporations will also be urged to temporarily adjust working hours to spread traffic demand more evenly, supporting more efficient energy use.

In the power sector, authorities will ease restrictions on coal-fired power generation on days when fine dust levels are low. At the same time, the government will push for the rapid resumption of operations at five nuclear reactors currently under maintenance, aiming to cut reliance on liquefied natural gas, which has also been affected by the Middle East crisis.