Thai Wife Recruited Buyers, Husband Delivered 'Ghost Cars': 268 Vehicles Illegally Distributed

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced today (June 17) that it has arrested a man in his 50s, identified as A, a used car dealer, on charges of violating the Motor Vehicle Management Act by distributing 268 "ghost cars"—vehicles not properly registered to their actual owners—to foreign nationals.

A is accused of selling 268 used cars to foreigners between July 2020 and February of this year while keeping the vehicles registered under the name of his dealership.

The police launched an investigation after discovering that a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run accident, driven by a foreign national, was still registered under the name of a used car dealership.

Following a search of A's residence and other locations, police confirmed that the whereabouts of most of the vehicles registered to the dealership were unknown. They also discovered hundreds of unpaid traffic fine notices issued to these ghost cars.

Furthermore, evidence was found that A would recover abandoned vehicles after they had been distributed to foreigners and drive them himself.

The investigation revealed that out of the 268 ghost cars sold to foreign residents in Korea, 243 were caught by automated traffic enforcement cameras 1,543 times across the country for offenses such as speeding.

The total amount of unpaid fines for these vehicles reached approximately 66 million won across 1,056 cases.

Forensic analysis of A's mobile phone and laptop led police to conclude that A's Thai spouse recruited Thai buyers, after which A would deliver the vehicles to them across the country.

Police apprehended A on April 1 and, following further investigation, obtained an arrest warrant for him yesterday.

Authorities have also taken measures to seize the license plates of some vehicles with outstanding fines.

For the ghost cars identified so far, police are working with local governments to issue driving suspension orders, carry out forced towing, and initiate public auction procedures.

A police official stated, "Ghost cars are often operated without mandatory insurance and carry a high risk of being misused as a means of transport for secondary crimes, such as hit-and-runs or drug trafficking," adding, "We urge both citizens and foreign residents in Korea to only use vehicles that have gone through proper registration transfer procedures."

(Photo: Yonhap News / Provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.