An electric scooter is standing right in the middle of a pedestrian walkway.
It is parked in a spot where it is not allowed, but it has simply been abandoned there.
[Jeonju Citizen: There were times I almost crashed into one while walking. I wish they would either create designated parking areas or just get rid of them completely.]
At the end of 2024, the number of shared electric scooters tracked by Jeonju City stood at 3,800.
However, a survey conducted at the end of last year showed that the number nearly doubled to around 6,000.
Where did all these shared e-scooters come from?
Since 2021, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been immediately towing abandoned shared scooters and imposing towing fees on the operating companies.
[Seoul Metropolitan Government Official: There is actually no such term as a 'grace period' under the Road Traffic Act. We enforce immediate towing, which is how it is supposed to be done right away.]
It appears that scooter operators relocated their fleets to regional cities to escape Seoul's strict crackdown, leading to a phenomenon where shared scooters are decreasing in Seoul while surging rapidly only in regional cities.
[Shared Scooter Company Official: We are currently focusing our services around electric bicycles in Seoul, while concentrating [e-scooters] more heavily on suburban areas.]
Although Jeonju City has also been towing illegally parked scooters and charging towing fees since 2024, the enforcement remains a slap on the wrist.
Only 40 scooters were towed last year, and merely 22 have been towed as of June this year.
The failure to tow vehicles immediately is also a problem.
Jeonju City initially set a 2-hour towing grace period and reduced it to 1 hour starting last year, but calls are mounting to eliminate even this grace period.
Jeonju City is only now reviewing measures to immediately tow scooters parked in eight designated zones, including crosswalks, school zones, and traffic islands.
[Jeonju City Official: By giving a notice period, we are currently reviewing internally to implement immediate towing for about eight key zones.]
A more robust and stringent enforcement system is urgently needed to prevent regional areas from becoming lawless zones for electric scooters.
Sudden Surge of Shared E-Scooters in Jeonju... The Astounding Reason Behind It (July 21, 2026, 12 PM News)
Reported by Jeong Sang-won (JTV) | Produced by Lee Se-young | Video captured by Kwon Man-taek (JTV) | Produced by SBS Digital News
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