Crime > Unpaid diplomatic parking fines: Group totals

According to the Korea Herald’s March 16th edition, foreign diplomatic missions in Seoul only paid 3.6 percent of the parking-related fines they incurred in 2004. Eighty-four foreign missions in the city were fined a total of almost US$100,000 for 2,487 parking violations. <p>Only 89 of the fines were paid. The leaders in outstanding fines were Russia (230), Vietnam (199), China (180) and the Philippines (114). Paraguay, the People's Republic of Congo, Norway, Venezuela, Panama and Afghanistan all had no outstanding fines. <p>The Foreign Ministry made an appeal to the missions for voluntary payment of the fines, but it was ignored. Under the terms of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, "the means of transport of the [diplomatic] mission shall be immune from search, requisition, attachment or execution."