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Radar-equipped undercover cop cars now patrolling Seoul's roads for reckless drivers

Published: 19 May. 2025, 14:26 Updated: 21 May. 2025, 14:22

A vehicle from the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency patrols a road. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Unmarked patrol vehicles equipped with advanced monitoring technology have been deployed on Seoul's major expressways to crack down on speeding and reckless driving.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on Monday that as of May 15, it has begun focusing the use of these surveillance cars on expressways such as Olympic-daero and Gangbyeonbuk-ro.

For the rest of May, the system will operate on a trial basis with a focus on public awareness and education. From June onward, full enforcement — including penalties for speeding, reckless driving and lane violations — will be implemented.

These new patrol vehicles are outfitted with radar that automatically determines whether the car ahead is speeding. The vehicles are also equipped with manual video recording features that allow officers to monitor and penalize reckless driving behavior such as aggressive lane changes and violations of designated lane rules.

High-performance cameras mounted on the patrol cars capture license plate numbers, while GPS tracking allows the system to log and transmit real-time data and footage to a monitoring center.

Previously, enforcement relied primarily on fixed cameras installed on roadways. However, many drivers slowed down only in front of these installations before resuming dangerous speeds, leading to safety concerns.

In the past three years, 25 people have died in traffic accidents on Seoul’s expressways, with 76 percent, or 19 deaths, occurring between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to police statistics. Among the roads, Gangbyeonbuk-ro and Olympic-daero were the deadliest, accounting for nine and seven deaths respectively.

“We expect the awareness that violations can be caught anywhere and anytime to improve overall traffic safety consciousness among citizens,” said a police officer.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE HAY-JUNE [[email protected]]