The number of traffic accidents involving foreign drivers increased by four times in the last three years, a report showed Thursday.

A total of 1,411 traffic accidents caused by foreigners were reported in 2015, four times more than 2012. Of this number, 487 cases involved those driving without licenses, two times higher than 2012, according to the report by The Minjoo Party of Korea Rep. Kim Young-jin, who referred to data from the National Police Agency.

A total of 2,235 foreigners had their driver’s licenses canceled or suspended for traffic violations such as hit-and-run accidents or drunk driving, an about 30 percent increase from 2014, the report said.

Rep. Kim said the rise is caused by the current driving license system that is lenient on foreigners with international licenses, despite them being less familiar with the Korean traffic system.
Foreign residents with overseas driver license are eligible to drive in Korea as long as they pass a physical checkup. Foreigners without the international license need to pass Korea’s driving test.

The overall rise in the number of foreign residents applying for the driver’s license also attributed to the rise, Kim added.

Some 142,000 foreigners applied for the license in 2015 and 139,000 in 2014, compared to 79,000 in 2013.

“When you look at the statistics, you have to wonder whether the driver’s license is too easily issued to foreigners. ... The standards for foreign nationals should be fortified along with the move to toughen the overall driver’s license test system,” Kim said.

Korea’s driving test has been criticized for being too simplified and easy after it was revised in 2010 and 2011.

The National Police Agency in January this year revised the Road Traffic Act to make the driving test more difficult.

The new test process, due to take effect this November, increases the number of hours for the on-the-road driving test from two hours to four hours, and introduces tougher road courses.

Since 2011, novice drivers were able to obtain their licenses within four to five days by taking a total of 13 hours of classes and passing a set of driving tests on the road. The hours for mandatory classes had been cut down from 60 hours to 13 hours. Evaluation criteria had also been reduced to six from 13.

In contrast, other countries’ driving tests require at least two to three years to obtain licenses. For instance, drivers in Australia, France and Germany can be granted an official license only several years after getting a temporary driver’s license upon passing exams.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)