Korea's Alcohol Interlock Licence: Who Must Fit a Device From October 2026

Korea now requires repeat drink drivers to fit an alcohol interlock before they can drive again. The conditional licence was written into the Road Traffic Act with effect from 25 October 2024, but a driver must first serve the disqualification period, so the first cars fitted with the device only began appearing on the road in late 2026. The government has indicated 24 October 2026 as the point at which the first habitual offenders become eligible.

A further amendment in October 2026 widened the group of drivers covered. The rules are set out below.

The scheme at a glance

What the device is

The Act defines an alcohol interlock as a device that prevents the engine from starting where the driver is intoxicated (art. 2(34)). In practice the driver breathes into the unit before the ignition engages. A driver on a conditional licence must have the device installed in the vehicle and registered with the commissioner of the provincial or city police agency (art. 50-3(1)), and must submit driving records and have the device inspected at least twice a year (art. 50-3(6)). Registration is also required where a device is fitted to a vehicle designated by presidential decree, such as a commercial passenger vehicle (art. 50-3(2)).

Who is covered after the October 2026 amendment

As originally drafted, the scheme covered a person who committed a further drink-driving or refusal offence within five years of an earlier one and had their licence cancelled as a result. From 4 June 2025, obstruction of the breath test — for example drinking after driving — was added to the list of triggering violations (Road Traffic Act art. 44(5)).

The original drafting left a gap: a driver who re-offended while already unlicensed had no licence to cancel, and so fell outside the scheme. An amendment promulgated and effective on 13 October 2026 closed that gap by adding drivers who were unlicensed at the time of the further violation (art. 80-2(1)2).

The amendment reaches drink-driving and refusal conduct on or after 25 October 2024, and test obstruction on or after 4 June 2025, but a driver who had already been reissued a licence before the amendment remains subject to the previous rules.

How long the restriction lasts

The period for which the device must be fitted is the same as the disqualification period applicable to the driver, and it begins the day after that period ends (art. 80-2(2)). Where a licence was cancelled for a repeat offence, the disqualification period is ordinarily two years, so the driver spends two years without a licence and then two years driving a vehicle fitted with the device. No unconditional licence is issued during that period (art. 80-2(2)10).

Breaching a condition is a criminal offence and a cancellation

Driving a vehicle that has no device, or one that does not meet the required standard, is punishable by up to one year or a fine up to 3 million won (art. 152(1-2)), and the licence is cancelled (art. 93(1)22). Removing or tampering with the device is punishable by up to three years or a fine up to 30 million won (art. 148-3(1)), and driving a vehicle knowing it has been tampered with is also an offence (art. 148-3(2)).

One point is frequently overlooked: a person who breathes into the device on behalf of the licence holder in order to start the vehicle is themselves liable to up to one year or a fine up to 3 million won (art. 50-3(5), art. 148-3(3)). A family member or colleague who agrees to help out becomes a defendant.

Electric scooters are not counted

Violations detected while riding a personal mobility device such as an electric kick scooter are excluded when counting prior offences for this purpose (art. 80-2(1), bracketed text). The five-year window is also measured from the date of the violation, not the date the sentence becomes final, which means the interlock threshold and the ten-year repeat-offence aggravation used in sentencing can fall in different places on the same set of facts.

What to check before applying for a licence

The length of both the disqualification period and the fitted-device period depends on when each earlier matter arose, how it was disposed of, and the outcome of the current case. For foreign nationals there is a further layer, because a repeat drink-driving record is also reviewed in visa and residence decisions. Our guide to DUI consequences for foreigners covers that side of the problem.

Before applying for reissue, have the record reviewed. Contact Taeshin Law Firm for a confidential consultation in English.