The government said on the 1st that it will introduce an odd-even driving system for the public institutional sector starting on the 8th. Under the odd-even system, vehicles with license plates ending in an odd number can drive on odd-numbered days, and those ending in an even number can drive on even-numbered days. This further shortens the days vehicles can operate compared with the 1-in-5 rotation that has been in effect since on the 25th.

Private vehicles will newly be subject to the 1-in-5 rotation when using public parking lots or visiting public institutions as civil petitioners. Under the 1-in-5 system, entry is restricted by weekday according to the last digit of the license plate number. On Monday, vehicles with last digits 1 or 6 are not allowed to enter public parking lots and public institutions. Tuesday is 2 and 7, Wednesday 3 and 8, Thursday 4 and 9, and Friday 5 and 0.

On the morning of the 17th, a sign announcing the odd-even vehicle rotation under the emergency fine dust reduction measure is set up at the entrance to Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, as the emergency measure for high concentrations of fine dust is in effect. /Courtesy of News1

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced an "energy-saving plan" with these details. The government will issue the "alert" level of the crude oil resource security warning from midnight. Accordingly, as a measure to curb energy demand, it decided to implement the odd-even system in the public institutional sector. A government official said, "There may be confusion in the early stage of implementation, so we decided to allow about a one-week grace period."

Public institutions subject to the odd-even rule include about 11,000 entities such as central administrative agencies and their affiliated public institutions, local governments, metropolitan and provincial offices of education, and national and public elementary schools. Exempt vehicles include electric and hydrogen cars; vehicles carrying persons with disabilities or pregnant women; vehicles of employees who have difficulty commuting by public transportation; and vehicles deemed necessary to operate by the heads of public institutions.

Along with introducing the odd-even system, the government said it will toughen penalties for violations. Previously, violating the 1-in-5 rotation four times or more led to disciplinary action, but under the odd-even system, three violations will result in discipline.

◇ "1-in-5 rotation" applied to private vehicles when entering public parking lots and public institutions

The government also said the 1-in-5 rotation will apply to private vehicles when using about 30,000 public parking lots nationwide or when visiting public institutions. However, the 1-in-5 rotation will not apply to parking lots affiliated with national university hospitals and dental hospitals, or with Seoul National University Hospital and its dental hospital.

For now, the government will not mandate a comprehensive 1-in-5 rotation for the private sector. Earlier, on the 29th, Koo Yun-cheol, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, said in a broadcast interview that if the resource security warning "alert" is issued, the government could consider applying the private-sector 1-in-5 rotation. A government official said, "We plan to carefully review mandatory implementation in the private institutional sector by comprehensively considering all conditions, including the energy supply-demand situation, public inconvenience, and economic impact."

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