Over 800 traffic law violations committed by foreign diplomats in 5 yrs: data

More than 800 traffic law violations by foreign diplomats stationed in South Korea have been reported over the past five years, with Russian diplomats accounting for the largest proportion, police data showed Tuesday.

According to the data compiled by the National Policy Agency, a total of 838 traffic violations by foreign diplomats have been reported from 2011 to now.

Russian diplomats broke traffic laws in 107 cases during the cited period, the largest number by any group stationed in the country, followed by Mongolian diplomats with 79 and Americans with 51, respectively. 

Foreign diplomats have been fined a combined 51 million won ($45,535) for traffic violations, 19.6 percent of which have not been paid, the data showed.

Because they are protected by diplomatic immunity, foreign envoys who fail to pay traffic fines are not prosecuted. (Yonhap)