On the 23rd, employees of the Suwon Urban Corporation are conducting a promotional campaign for the 5-day driving ban at Theham Park in Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province. [Photo=Yonhap News]

The government has decided to strengthen the "public sector carpooling (weekday ban)" to conserve energy.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment reported its response plan to the Cabinet on the 24th, following the issuance of a watch alert for crude oil resource security crises, including the public sector carpooling system. The ministry announced that the 5-day driving ban for public sector passenger cars, excluding electric and hydrogen vehicles, will be mandatory starting at 00:00 on the 25th.

Although the Energy Use Rationalization Act already mandates passenger carpooling for public institutions, the plan is to strengthen enforcement through warnings for non-compliance.

The public sector passenger carpooling system mandates implementation in cities and counties with a population of 500,000 or more, expands implementation to cities and counties with populations between 300,000 and 500,000, and allows cities and counties with populations under 300,000 to decide on implementation through their own committees.

However, the 5-day driving ban for public sector passenger cars does not apply to: compact cars and eco-friendly vehicles; passenger cars used by people with disabilities (including vehicles with passengers with disabilities); and vehicles carrying pregnant women or infants.

The Ministry of Climate plans to issue warnings to public institutions that do not properly implement the passenger carpooling system and request strict disciplinary action against their heads.

Furthermore, if the crude oil resource security crisis alert level is elevated to "warning," the government will consider mandating the 5-day driving ban for the private sector as well. It is estimated that approximately 23.7 million vehicles would be subject to the 5-day driving ban, excluding electric/hydrogen cars and vehicles for livelihood or disabled individuals.

There are also criticisms that the 5-day driving ban is inconsistent with the "petroleum price cap" policy. The argument is that it is contradictory to pursue a policy that prohibits vehicle operation on certain days while capping fuel prices.

The exemption of electric vehicles from the 5-day driving ban also faces criticism for lacking fairness.

The Ministry of Climate requested that electric cars be charged during daytime hours when renewable energy generation is high, highlighting that the amount of energy required for electric car charging is not insignificant. Therefore, not applying the 5-day driving ban to electric vehicles is considered unfair.

The government also announced 12 national guidelines for energy conservation. In addition to participating in the passenger carpooling system, these guidelines include: using public transportation; maintaining appropriate indoor temperatures; turning off unnecessary lights; efficiently using home appliances; purchasing high-efficiency home appliances; and replacing lighting with LEDs.

The guidelines also include: charging electric vehicles and mobile phones during the day; using washing machines and vacuum cleaners on weekends; and reducing shower times.

By Lim Yo-hee, Reporter