ALPR Systems Unlock the Future of Automated Security in Korea
Horns honking, drivers speeding, cars parked on sidewalks, sirens blaring…if you’re a tourist experiencing traffic in Korea for the first time, it might feel like chaos. But if you live here, it’s just normal.
However, just because people are used to it doesn’t mean they like all the headaches that go with it. What if property owners, local officials, and law enforcement agencies could improve safety and save manpower at the same time? Many traffic problems can now be solved efficiently and cost-effectively with ALPR for Korea.
Aerial view of streets in Korea. Source: Unsplash
Don’t Get Caught in a Korean Traffic Jam!
Since as early as the 1990s, Korea has had a reputation for impatient drivers and high traffic fatalities. At one point, traffic deaths exceeded deaths by heart attacks and cancer. While fatality rates have decreased, reporters and driving statistics still indicate a need for improvement.
Seoul is Stuck in Traffic Hell. That’s the title of a recent article from The Korea Times, a newspaper published daily in South Korea, and it’s not an exaggeration. In the article, the author describes incredibly long commutes and almost intolerable traffic congestion due to a surge in vehicle ownership. The number of private vehicles has more than doubled in the past two decades, and infrastructure hasn’t expanded at the same rate. The most popular passenger car models are the Hyundai Grandeur, Sonata, and Porter. Kia and GM products are also driver favorites.
Some think people are buying cars because housing costs have skyrocketed. Individuals who once saved to buy a home now don’t think that dream will ever become a reality, so they’re spending their savings on wheels instead. Others say people buy because they’re keeping up with their neighbors.
Break the Gridlock: Find Solutions to Traffic Problems
Koreans are frustrated. Entire Facebook groups and YouTube channels are devoted to detailing traffic and parking problems.
Everyone is talking about it, but until now there seemed to be no solutions in sight. “Stop signs barely exist,” one resident said. “So where there are no traffic lights, the intersection is a free-for-all. People do not slow down before going through them, just hope and pray.”
Traffic congestion reached nearly intolerable levels years ago, and it’s only getting worse. Traffic around Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Incheon, and other locations causes problems that have administrators and political candidates scratching their heads.
Plate Recognizer to Resolve Traffic Problems
Citizens struggle with everything from the traffic-related fine dust crisis to ridiculously long commutes to parking issues. Sometimes even Mother Nature seems to be against commuters, like when recent heavy rains turned Seoul’s roads into rivers, in some places making them impassable.
At Plate Recognizer, we may not be able to stop flooding, but ALPR for Korea can absolutely enhance security, reduce manpower requirements, provide practical data for better traffic decision-making, and save time and money by automating tasks that normally require human interaction.
Man holding an umbrella under the rain in Korea. Source: Unsplash
The Power of ANPR in Korea
What is ALPR? The acronym stands for automated license plate readers, camera systems that interface with computers to capture and make sense of license plate data.
Sometimes people get confused because the technology goes by a lot of different names. Here are just a few:
- Automated Number Plate Recognition – ANPR
- Automatic Number Plate Reader – ANPR
- Automated License Plate Recognizer – ALPR
- Number Plate Reader – NPR
- License Plate Reader – LPR
Don’t worry about memorizing the list because it’s all basically the same thing. When choosing the best ALPR for Korea, what you call the technology isn’t the most important part, it’s what the product can do.
How does ALPR work? Cities, law enforcement agencies, and property owners mount cameras at stoplights, on traffic signs, on police cars, and at the parking garage and subdivision entrances to photograph number plates and send data to a central location. Our ALPR for Korea decodes plates and provides information on vehicle make, model, color, orientation, and more. For more on how it works, see our in-depth guide on what is license plate recognition.
The main applications for automatic license plate recognition in Korea are parking management, toll collection, traffic control, driver access control, and law enforcement use. Let’s look at the challenges unique to Korea and how ALPR addresses each.
For example, Korean drivers and property owners struggle with finding available parking spots close to their destinations. Because paid parking solutions are few and far between, illegal parking is an epidemic. Our ALPR for Korea makes managing lots and improving efficiency a breeze. There are also a high number of motorcycle and scooter drivers, and some license plate readers struggle to make sense of two-wheeled vehicle plates. Plate Recognizer decodes them with ease.
Streets of Sejong-daero in Seoul, Korea. Source: Canva
Korea’s ALPR Plate can Recognize. Secure. Automate.
Plate Recognizer’s feature-rich ALPR for Korea automates and simplifies parking and traffic management tasks, allowing your police department or business to focus on its core mission. Our software automates license plate verification and makes data access simple for improved accuracy and efficiency.
Our sophisticated license plate recognition systems work even on
- Blurry images
- When number plates are at an angle
- In dark environments
- When vehicles are driving fast
- On low-resolution images
- On plates with icons
- With multiple vehicles in the frame
- On plates with more than one row of characters
ALPR For Korea Gives Unparallel Parking Solutions
When people from other countries see a driver parked where they shouldn’t be, they express shock, but people from Korea fall into one of two camps, and they’re split about 50/50. The first group shrugs shake their heads, and says, “What an inconsiderate driver.” Then they go on with their day. People in the second group say, “Hey, I do that all the time! Looking for parking is like trying to find Mr. Kim in Seoul!”
Why do drivers think it’s okay to park on sidewalks, to back right up to business entrances, to straddle a space marked for compact cars with a massive SUV? Take a second to really ponder that question, then we’ll tell you what we think.
We have a lot of experience helping businesses and law enforcement agencies solve traffic-related problems. Plate Recognizer’s automatic license plate recognition software works all over the world and is available everywhere from the United States to Germany to Thailand. We’ve been serving and receiving feedback from other countries for years, so we’ve seen some common themes. Are you ready for our theory on why people around the globe don’t follow parking rules?
Because they think they can get away with it.
Find Out Reasons for Not Using Public Parking Facility
Public parking facilities exist in Korean cities, but they’re few and far between, so drivers have to pay by the hour and park several streets over from their actual destination. In many cases, it’s cheaper to just pay a fine on rare occasions when they receive one. Mostly, they get away with it.
“The negligent parking practices become the norm,” a frustrated resident said, “And I kinda get it. Often there is no choice…it’s all so normal for Koreans and therefore just a fact of life to be respected or overlooked as much as possible, unless you want to be driven to insanity, which is about where I am with it all.”
Citizens can download an app to report bad driving and illegal parking, but often nothing happens in response. There’s no penalty for the driver, but when people are inconsiderate with their parking and driving, it creates safety issues and inconveniences drivers and other business owners.
For example, imagine you owned the business pictured above. For as long as that driver blocks the entrance, fewer shoppers will stop by, residents will complain and deliveries might not be made. In the past, your only recourse was to file a report. Now, however, there’s something you can do about it.
Top view of cars parked in private parking lot. Source: Canva
The ALPR For Korea Has A Variety Of Business Uses
Using our software for automatic license plate recognition allows property owners to have more control over traffic around their business. Our automatic license plate recognition software works in all environments, and we’ve optimized it for Korea.
It works with any IP camera and decodes plates from images or video. It can even process live video in real time. It works in bad weather and low light situations, adjusting for fast-moving vehicles, glare, and other factors that trip up competitor ALPR solutions. It even does great in the tunnels that are so common throughout the country.
Businesses use our automatic number plate recognition software to monitor drivers coming and going, see how long drivers say, and identify repeat offenders when necessary. Users can also review data to spot trends – to see the busiest and slowest traffic times. Plus, analyzing the types of cars parked nearby gives insight into the types of people driving them.
Property owners also use our ALPR for Korea to manage parking lots, car parks, and garages. Attract more drivers when you set up pay-by-plate for your parking garage. Keep an eye on who pays to park, track how long they stay, and evaluate whether they use your facility according to guidelines. You get 24/7 monitoring without having to pay an attendant. Our number plate reader software also provides surveillance and private security around the clock.
Keep an eye on who pays to park, track how long they stay, and evaluate whether they use your facility according to guidelines.
You get 24/7 monitoring without having to pay an attendant. Our number plate reader software also provides surveillance and private security around the clock.
Cars on the street in Korea, Side-walk view. Source: Unsplash
ANPR For Korea: Serving and Protecting Our Communities
Last year, the average daily traffic volume on highways in South Korea averaged around 13.2 thousand vehicles each and every day on around 14 million kilometers of road. It’s a lot to keep up with, and that’s just national highways.
Traffic violence is a huge problem, with death rates three times the average in the rest of the world. The National Police Agency and safety and transport ministries recently lowered speed limits in some areas, but that will only help as much as new speed limits are enforced.
Private citizens aren’t the only ones annoyed by inconsiderate driving and parking, but the problem is widespread and manpower is limited. License plate recognition programs for police departments cut problems down to size. Law enforcement can use ANPR data too quickly.
- Identify and track down drivers who speed through intersections or park outside designated areas.
- Monitor for people driving with suspended or revoked licenses.
- Recover stolen license plates and cars.
- Watch for missing persons.
- Improve national security by tracking persons of interest.
- Share ALPR data with other jurisdictions to cross-reference against hot lists and receive real-time alerts.
- Detect and locate potential witnesses for crimes and traffic accidents.
- Catch drivers who speed through red lights or break other traffic laws.
- Stop toll road violations
Cars on the street in Korea. Source: Unsplash
Choosing the Best Korea ANPR
Traffic issues across the country can seem overwhelming, but you can take charge. Our software puts data at your fingertips that allows you to make a difference, whether you’re an apartment manager, a restaurant owner, or a police officer.
However, not all automated number plate readers are equal. Some deliver errors in bad weather, low light situations, or when vehicles are moving too quickly. To our software, those challenges are too easy.
Are you ready to get started? Plate Recognizer’s ALPR is globally proven, currently supporting more than 90 countries. We offer both cloud-based and on-premise software that works on a wide range of device types. But you don’t have to take our word for it, you can “test drive” ALPR for Korea for free. Click here to get started.
ALPR automatically capturing license plate numbers. Source: Canva