Seoul Window
You come back to where you parked and the car isn’t there. Before you call the police about a stolen rental car, look down. In Korea, a towed car leaves a clue on the ground.
This is Part 4 of our Korea driving series. For parking rates, apps, and free mall parking, see our full parking guide. This part is about what to do when parking goes wrong.
The short answer
- Look for a yellow sticker on the ground where your car was. It names the impound lot and gives a phone number.
- No sticker? Call 120 (Seoul Dasan call centre; English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Mongolian on weekdays 09:00–18:00) or 112 (police) with your plate number.
- Call the rental company next. It owns the car and may need to send the registration.
- Seoul tow fee is ₩40,000–60,000, storage ₩700 per 30 min. The parking fine (usually ₩40,000) comes later, separately.
How do you know your car was towed?
Check the pavement where you parked. When a tow truck takes a car in Korea, the crew sticks a yellow notice sticker on the ground at that exact spot. It says the car was towed and shows which impound lot (견인차량보관소) it went to and a phone number to call.
It’s small and flat on the asphalt, so people walk right past it looking for their car. If you see one, your car hasn’t been stolen: it’s at the lot, and the meter is running.
Photograph the sticker
Take a photo before you leave. The lot name and number are everything you need, and you can show the photo to a taxi driver instead of trying to pronounce the address.
No sticker? It may have been removed or blown away. Call 120 (Seoul’s Dasan call centre, which offers consultation in English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Mongolian on weekdays 09:00–18:00) or 112 (police) and give your plate number. Rental cars in Korea have plates with the letters 하, 허 or 호; you’ll find the full number on your rental contract. Some districts, including Gangnam and Dongjak, also have online towed-car lookups.
What should you do, step by step?
- 1. Photograph the yellow sticker (or get the lot from 120/112).
- 2. Call the rental company. Tell them the car was towed and where it is. The lot releases cars to the owner or driver, and some lots ask for the vehicle registration certificate. The rental company can send it or tell you what they need.
- 3. Call the lot to confirm the car is there and check opening hours. Gangnam, Gwanak–Dongjak, Nowon and Jongno's Hongje lot say they run 24 hours.
- 4. Go with your documents: passport, IDP, home license, and rental contract.
- 5. Pay the tow and storage fees at the lot. Payment methods differ: Gwanak–Dongjak takes cash, transfer or card; Mapo and Jongno take card or transfer.
- 6. Expect the parking fine later. It's mailed to the rental company, which charges it to your card.
Don’t leave it for tomorrow. Storage runs around the clock, and a car left unclaimed for a month can be sold or scrapped, with legal consequences for the owner.
How much does a tow cost in Seoul?
Seoul sets tow fees by city ordinance, so they’re the same at every district lot.
🚛 Seoul towing and storage fees (2026)
| Vehicle | Tow fee | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Car under 1,000 cc (compact) | ₩40,000 | ₩700 / 30 min |
| Car 1,000–1,600 cc (e.g. Avante) | ₩45,000 | ₩700 / 30 min |
| Car 1,600–2,000 cc (e.g. Sonata, K5) | ₩50,000 | ₩700 / 30 min |
| Car over 2,000 cc | ₩60,000 | ₩700 / 30 min |
| Van up to 15 seats (e.g. Carnival) | ₩60,000 | ₩700 / 30 min |
Storage adds up to about ₩33,600 a day, capped at ₩500,000. So a mid-size rental towed in the afternoon and collected the next morning comes to roughly ₩50,000 + ₩15,000–20,000 storage, before the fine.
🧾 The parking fine, charged separately (passenger car)
| Where you parked | Fine |
|---|---|
| General no-parking spot (yellow line, sidewalk, bus stop, crosswalk, corner) | ₩40,000 |
| Within 5 m of a fire hydrant (red line) | ₩80,000 |
| School zone | ₩120,000 |
Vans pay ₩10,000 more in each case.
Outside Seoul, each city sets its own rates. Seongnam, for example, charges ₩20,000 for the first 5 km plus ₩1,000 per km, with storage capped at ₩180,000.
Where are Seoul’s impound lots?
📍 Some Seoul impound lots (check the sticker for yours)
| District | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Gangnam | 78-29 Daechi-dong (about 15 minutes’ walk from Samseong Station exit 2) | 02-558-7230 |
| Mapo | 2 Tojeong-ro, in the Yanghwajin public car park (Hapjeong Stn exit 7) | 02-300-5000 (corporation main line) |
| Gwanak–Dongjak | 7 Sinsa-ro, Gwanak-gu | 02-855-8611 |
| Nowon | Madeul Stadium, 770-2 Sanggye 6-dong | 02-2289-6735 |
| Jongno (Hongje lot) | 227 Hongjenae-gil, Seodaemun-gu | 02-3417-0551 |
Jongno’s lot is in neighbouring Seodaemun-gu, so check the address on the sticker before setting off.
How do you avoid getting towed in the first place?
Towing trucks focus on spots where a parked car causes real trouble. Avoid these and you’ll almost never be towed:
- Signs reading 견인지역 (tow-away zone).
- Double yellow lines and red lines at the kerb. Red means a fire hydrant or fire lane.
- Bus stops, crosswalks, and intersection corners.
- Resident-only parking (거주자우선주차), marked spaces with numbers painted in them. These look like public spaces but belong to residents, who call the tow truck.
Parking cost in one line
Central Seoul runs about ₩6,000 an hour at private lots; Hangang Park lots cap at ₩10,000–15,000 a day. When a lot has no daily cap, a few hours can cost more than the fine. Details in our parking guide.
The Korea driving series
- Renting a car as a foreigner
- Traffic rules foreigners get wrong
- Speed cameras and traffic fines
- Parking costs, and what to do if you're towed (you are here)
- Gas stations and fuel costs
- Expressway tolls and Hi-Pass
- Korean driving culture
Sources
- SeoulWindow editor's first-hand experience with towing in Seoul (yellow ground sticker)
- Dongjak Facilities Corporation — tow and storage fees
- Nowon Facilities Corporation — impound lot
- Mapo Facilities Corporation — impound lot
- Gangnam Urban Corporation — towing guide
- Korea.kr — illegal parking fines
- Seongnam — towing fees