On a quiet side street in Seoul, it can be tempting to cross when the pedestrian light is red and no cars are coming. The Korean term for crossing where you shouldn’t is mudan hoengdan (jaywalking), and the law sets fixed fines for it. The rules are also more specific than a blanket ban on crossing outside crosswalks.[1][2]
Below, we explain what the law actually requires, why the fine you’d pay is different from the “up to KRW 200,000 (about US$148)” figure that shows up online, how the fines are enforced, and how to cross safely. We read the Road Traffic Act and its penalty table on the government’s legal information site on October 6, 2026 (how we research). This is general information, not legal advice.
The law depends on whether a crossing is nearby
Article 10 of the Road Traffic Act sets out how pedestrians may cross a road. It has four rules:[1]
- If there’s a crosswalk, underpass, overpass or other crossing on that road, use it. People with physical disabilities who can’t use an underpass or overpass may cross elsewhere, as long as they don’t get in the way of traffic.
- If there’s no crosswalk, cross by the shortest route, straight across rather than at an angle.
- Don’t cross directly in front of or behind a vehicle, unless you’re on a crosswalk or following a traffic signal or a police officer.
- Don’t cross where signs prohibit crossing.
So crossing without a crosswalk isn’t illegal everywhere. On a road with no crossing at all, the law tells you how to cross, not that you can’t.[1] The rules that carry fines are about ignoring a crossing that’s there, crossing against a signal and crossing in places the law names as dangerous.[2]
What this means for you: before you step off the curb, look up and down the block for a crosswalk, an underpass entrance or an overpass. If one is there, walk to it.
The fine depends on how you cross
The penalty amounts come from a table attached to the Enforcement Decree of the Road Traffic Act, Appended Table 9. It lists offenses by pedestrians and the fixed amount, beomchikgeum (a fixed penalty for a minor traffic offense), for each.[2] The Korean National Police Agency’s fine-payment site shows the same table.[4]
| What you do | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Cross against a pedestrian signal, or against a police officer’s signal | KRW 30,000 (about US$22) |
| Cross right over an underpass or right under an overpass | KRW 30,000 (about US$22) |
| Cross where signs prohibit crossing | KRW 30,000 (about US$22) |
| Walk in the road where there’s a sidewalk | KRW 30,000 (about US$22) |
| Don’t use a crosswalk, underpass or overpass that’s there | KRW 20,000 (about US$15) |
| Cross directly in front of or behind a vehicle | KRW 20,000 (about US$15) |
Source: Appended Table 9, items 2, 3, 5, 6, 12 and 13.[2]
The table sets a single amount for each offense. It doesn’t list a higher amount for crossing at night, on an empty road or as a foreign visitor.[2]
“Up to KRW 200,000 (about US$148)” is a different number
Search for Korean jaywalking fines and you may see “up to KRW 200,000 (about US$148).” That figure is real, but it isn’t the standard penalty.
Article 157 of the Road Traffic Act sets criminal penalties. A pedestrian who breaks the signal rule, the sidewalk rule or the crossing rules in Article 10 can face a fine of up to KRW 200,000 (about US$148), detention or a minor fine.[3] That’s the most the law allows. The amounts in the penalty table above, KRW 20,000 (about US$15) or KRW 30,000 (about US$22), are the fixed sums set for each offense.[2]
What this means for you: if you’re stopped for jaywalking, expect a notice for one of the table amounts. The KRW 200,000 (about US$148) figure is the legal maximum, not the usual charge.
Police do fine pedestrians, including visitors
Jaywalking fines are enforced, and foreign visitors pay the same amounts as Koreans. The clearest published numbers come from Jeju Island. Jeju police counted 2,482 jaywalking cases involving foreign nationals in 2024, 82.6% of the 3,005 cases on the island that year, up from none in 2021 and 2022 and five in 2023.[7] Yonhap’s report on those figures says the KRW 20,000 (about US$15) and KRW 30,000 (about US$22) amounts apply to foreigners too, and describes a joint crackdown in tourist areas such as Dongmun Market.[7] These are Jeju figures, not Seoul ones.
Where “KRW 50,000 (about US$37)” comes from
You may have read that jaywalking in Korea costs KRW 50,000 (about US$37). In 2025, Jeju police issued a multilingual guide for visitors, and CNN’s report on it said that jaywalking, littering and smoking in non-designated areas “could each result in a 50,000 KRW” fine.[8] That isn’t the amount the penalty table sets for crossing offenses, which is KRW 20,000 (about US$15) or KRW 30,000 (about US$22).[2] KRW 50,000 (about US$37) is the amount Yonhap lists for offenses such as littering and public urination, which fall under a different law, the Minor Offenses Act.[7] The amounts in this guide come from the Road Traffic Act’s penalty table.[2]
If you’re handed a penalty notice
You have 10 days to pay it at a designated bank or a post office. If you miss that, you get 20 more days to pay the amount plus 20%.[5] After that, the case goes to a summary trial, a short hearing before a judge. If you pay 1.5 times the original amount and send proof of payment before the ruling, the court request is withdrawn.[6] Police can also skip the notice and send the case straight to a summary trial if your name or address can’t be confirmed, or if they think you may leave.[6] Once you’ve paid, you can’t be punished again for the same offense.[5]
What this means for you: if you’re given a notice, pay it within the 10 days, and before you fly home. We checked these rules and figures on October 11, 2026.
Why the rule is strict even on an empty road
The law is written around where a crossing is, not around how busy the road looks at that moment.[1] The penalty table follows the same pattern. The higher KRW 30,000 (about US$22) amount covers crossing against a signal and crossing in spots the law singles out, such as directly over an underpass or where signs ban crossing. The lower KRW 20,000 (about US$15) amount covers not walking to a crossing that’s there.[2]
In other words, the rule doesn’t ask you to judge whether a road is safe to cross. It asks you to use the crossing, and it treats ignoring the signal as the more serious offense. That’s why a red pedestrian light on a quiet street still counts.
Good to know
Before you cross:
- Look for a crosswalk, underpass or overpass on the block. If there is one, use it.[1]
- Wait for the green pedestrian light, even if the road looks empty.[2]
- Don’t step out between parked or stopped cars.[1]
- Walk on the sidewalk wherever there is one.[2]
- Where there’s no crossing at all, cross straight across by the shortest route.[1]
Laws and penalty amounts change. The amounts above were checked on October 6, 2026.
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