Sick of e-scooters abandoned on sidewalks and bike lanes, Cheonan declares war on illegal parking
Published: 17 Nov. 2025, 17:05
Updated: 17 Nov. 2025, 17:14
![Workers unload towed electric scooters at the designated storage area for personal mobility devices inside a vehicle impound lot in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on Nov. 11. [SHIN JIN-HO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/17/c6008d88-dd56-46ca-9fcc-95c19530193a.jpg)
Workers unload towed electric scooters at the designated storage area for personal mobility devices inside a vehicle impound lot in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on Nov. 11. [SHIN JIN-HO]
CHEONAN, South Chungcheong — At 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, two trucks loaded with electric scooters rolled into a vehicle impound lot in Cheonan, South Chungcheong. The lot, which usually stores illegally parked or abandoned vehicles, now has a section specifically for towed personal mobility devices (PMDs), commonly known as e-scooters.
Workers unloaded dozens of scooters, carefully aligning them in neat rows. Earlier that morning, the crew had towed the scooters from the Ssangyong 1 to 3 neighborhoods, where they had been left abandoned.
“We’ve already collected over 80 this morning, and we expect a similar number this afternoon,” one of the workers said.
Cheonan has declared a crackdown on illegally or carelessly parked e-scooters, which have become a growing nuisance not only in downtown areas but also around apartment complexes, parks and subway stations. City officials say the devices are often left obstructing sidewalks and bike lanes, posing a safety hazard to pedestrians.
On July 1, Cheonan became the first city in Korea to implement a designated parking system for PMDs. Under the system, any scooter parked outside of designated areas is subject to towing without notice.
According to a survey conducted by the city of 1,330 residents in March, 88 percent said they had experienced inconvenience due to PMDs, while 85 percent supported towing. Three-quarters said they supported expanding the scope of the crackdown.
![Electric scooters are left abandoned on a sidewalk near Dujeong Station in Seobuk District, Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on the morning of Nov. 11. [SHIN JIN-HO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/17/b529afd1-b2d5-4b20-9db2-6e92d1fc5586.jpg)
Electric scooters are left abandoned on a sidewalk near Dujeong Station in Seobuk District, Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on the morning of Nov. 11. [SHIN JIN-HO]
Cheonan towed 1,406 e-scooters in July alone — a figure that jumped to 1,606 in August and 1,768 in September. Even during the extended Chuseok holidays in October, the city towed 1,459 scooters. That’s a sevenfold increase from last year’s monthly average of 210 and nearly triple the average of 532 from the first half of this year. City officials say citizen complaints related to e-scooters have fallen by half in the same period.
This reporter’s visit to central Cheonan on Tuesday afternoon still found abandoned scooters near subway stations. At Dujeong Station, which serves a nearby university district, scooters were left in the middle of sidewalks, inconveniencing pedestrians. Some were even parked like cars in front of stores in Dujeong-dong and Ssangyong-dong.
“People just leave them wherever,” one shopkeeper said. “I’ve seen people get hurt, so it’s a relief to see them being towed.”
The city doubled the towing fee from 15,000 won ($10) to 30,000 won to pressure PMD operators into compliance. A daily storage fee of 5,000 won applies, capped at 150,000 won. If a towed scooter is retrieved on the same day, only the 30,000-won towing fee is charged. From the next day onward, the storage fee is added daily. Operators are responsible for retrieving their scooters and covering all associated costs. As of early November, Cheonan was home to about 4,000 e-scooters operated by five companies.
![Electric scooters are neatly lined up at a designated parking zone for personal mobility devices in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on Nov. 11. The city has established 450 such parking zones across urban areas. [SHIN JIN-HO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/17/61be8758-b2da-4b10-834a-d5a62e001657.jpg)
Electric scooters are neatly lined up at a designated parking zone for personal mobility devices in Dujeong-dong, Cheonan, South Chungcheong, on Nov. 11. The city has established 450 such parking zones across urban areas. [SHIN JIN-HO]
Seven city-contracted workers — two hired directly and five from an outsourced firm — carry out the towing operation in two teams. Cheonan has also installed 450 designated parking spots for PMDs, with 190 million won allocated to the program this year.
The city plans to add 50 more parking zones near subway stations by the end of the year, bringing the total to 500. Areas requested by residents will be prioritized, and some zones will allow side-parking to improve sidewalk access and space efficiency.
The city has asked operators to quickly retrieve towed or misplaced scooters — both to minimize costs and to ensure pedestrian safety. Officials have held more than 10 meetings with companies this year alone. Cheonan is also pushing for revisions to the Road Traffic Act, currently pending in the National Assembly, to allow towing from private property. Under current law, scooters abandoned in apartment complexes or near store entrances cannot be towed because they are on private land — despite a growing number of complaints.
“We’ll continue to expand designated parking zones so citizens can feel the impact of the new system,” said Kim Cheon-ho, head of the city’s bicycle culture team. “Through cooperation with operators, we’ll also work to resolve problems in the field.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN JIN-HO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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