Korean Job Discussion Forums

[oatmeal]

Does anyone know the general rule for parking, especially in rural towns?
I've been here for 5 years and owned a car for just a little over 1.5 years (same rural town). I've been told that I could pretty much park anywhere as long as there was no sign that says no parking or private property etc. I've parked usually in the local grocery (something something Mart), near the back to avoid taking up spots for actual customers near the front. I see cars parked there all the time who are not shopping at the marts. I've done this for about 18 months and never once received some kind of warning or notice.

This morning I got this little white sign on my windshield that reads this:

"주차통제: 장기주차를 통제합니다. 협조 부탁드립니다."

I used the google translator and it says something about watch or control my long-term parking, thank you for your cooperation.

Now, I'm assuming they mean overnight parking since that is what I do. I live like 2 minutes across from the mart. My one room building doesn't have any parking space for the renters. I was told I could just park anywhere in the town.

Does this warning or notice hold any weight? I know that Korea is notorious for not enforcing traffic laws. People park all over the place, on sidewalks, in the middle of the road, on curbs, on crosswalks, in front of doors, on lawns, on children's playgrounds etc. I'm just wondering if it's something I should be threatened by and move my car from now on or just ignore it until they warn me again (if they even do at all). Can they tow my car without notifying me because they already gave me one notice?

Btw, the lot is huge, it's almost NEVER filled up, usually I see it only filled up to about 40-50% of it's capacity. There's about 50 or 60 spaces, and this town almost never has that many people shopping anyways at once. A lot of people park there all the time. Actually, I found that it's quite empty overnight but first thing in the morning, it's near full because I think people park there when they go to work in the town.

[Steelrails]

Some have alternate side parking, others tie parking to residency. Also, some might have parking zones where an old guy hands you a slip while you are parked there. Lastly, there may be certain areas that are not zoned for parking. I really can't tell you more without a photo of the area. Best guess is to ask around. The police might be able to help you out and explain it.

[Fox]

[Fallacy]

In the past month, I have noticed more frequent police presence at intersections, seen more pullovers for moving violations on the side of roads, and parking citations issued by cameras fixed or roving atop specialty cars. A colleague had several of those stickers on the windshield that you mention, followed by the disappearance of the car. The towing company left a sticker on the curb with impound location and telephone contact information. Could there be a nationwide crackdown on traffic infractions underway? Regional? Or just temporary?

[oatmeal]

Hmm, it would be good to hear more about it. But when I read the translation, it didn't say anything about not being allowed to park there or being illegal, or even that they would tow it. It sounds more like they just wanted me to control my long-term parking. Yes, I park there from when I get home at 5pm until the next morning I leave for work at 8am.

The problem is that all the rules seem to be so arbitrary, I can never tell if they are serious or not. As I said, the lot is never FULL. I'm a local who lives in that town and shops at that mart, and I don't understand why they would give me a notice now after having done it for the past several months. The notice itself doesn't even say anything about consequences. If they could just tell me that they don't want me to park there, that's different. It's like they are saying I can park there as long as it's not too much but without defining what exactly constitutes too much in their minds. It's so arbitrary.

I just don't get it because if anyone has ever lived in a small rural town, you know how lackadaisical everything is. If they ran out of spaces for their customers, I can understand, but in a case where everyone uses their lot for parking both long-term and short, and they have enough space for customers (as I said, it's never full), I'm not sure what they are saying now. Maybe if I shop their more it would help??? I used to park at another mart and did so for 1 year and never had any notices or warnings about leaving my car parked there in the back or side. The only reason why I don't park there now is because they underwent construction. Once construction finishes, maybe I'll just go back and park there again.

All I'm saying is that it would help if they could actually post something definite. If they clearly post that no overnight parking is permitted, I wouldn't park there. If they say something like maximum 6 hours parking, I would abide by those rules. But since they don't ever do anything like that in small towns, I have no idea how serious they are or maybe they aren't serious at all. Everyone parks everywhere for whatever amount of time as long as it's not causing any problems to anyone. That seemed to be the accepted rule or culture. Now I'm just confused. I guess I'll have to talk to someone to make sure. I seriously don't want them to tow or touch my car without telling me. This notice to me doesn't suffice as a warning that they will tow my car one day. If it's supposed to be, then they should have clearly written on it that my car could be towed at owner's expense. Instead, the message seemed to be a very friendly nudge that just says for me to control my long-term parking and they thanked me for my cooperation.

[Fox]

[jvalmer]

Just find another spot. You might even find a sweet spot a tad bit closer.

[oatmeal]

[oatmeal]