Sejong, March 31 - The Ministry of Environment (Minister Han Wha-jin) will inspect the current status of the support program for installing diesel particulate filters (DPFs) in connection with the allegation that defective components have been used for DPFs attached to old diesel vehicles. The Ministry plans to improve the support program based on the results. 

A DPF manufacturer was recently alleged to have used a substandard, defective filter in the cleaning process1 for DPF. The Ministry will actively cooperate with ongoing police investigations. Starting late March 2023, the Ministry will thoroughly re-examine the status of the support program for installing diesel particulate filters (DPFs) with the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) and other concerned agencies and inspect the performance of installed DPFs. This inspection aims to address the concerns of those who own high-emissions Grade 5 diesel vehicles that require installing a DPF as a subsidy of the Ministry and local government and prevent subsidies from being wasted. The DPF subsidy program will temporarily be suspended and resume in July 2023 to achieve inspection objectives. 

The Ministry will closely examine how the support program for DPF installation is being managed. The Ministry will restrict joining the government's support program and recover subsidies if companies are found to be involved in illegal acts, such as using defective parts, during the inspection. 

Additionally, the Ministry will conduct stricter gas emission testing on DPF-installed vehicles to prevent the recurrence of similar cases. The Ministry will also reform systems to reinforce post-management, such as filter history management. To fundamentally reduce air pollutants emitted from old diesel vehicles, the Ministry will focus on supplying DPFs to lower-income groups and small businesses unable to scrap old cars in the short term from 2024 and further increase subsidies for early car scrappage.

NIER and the Korea Automobile Environmental Association (KAEA) will secure samples of all devices supplied by nine DPF manufacturers and conduct performance tests for each device type. NIER will assess emission reduction efficiency and any use of defective parts and examine DPFs in operation through a sample survey. In the meantime, the Metropolitan Air Quality Management Office plans to conduct a joint inspection with local governments in the metropolitan area to identify any removal or damage of DPFs in old diesel vehicles on the road until October 2023.

On March 22, 2023, the Ministry met with KAEA and DPF manufacturers to notify the participants of the Ministry's inspection plan and call for strict compliance with relevant laws and regulations, including the Clean Air Conservation Act.

Park Yeon-jae, Director-General for the Air Quality Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Environment, stated, "Owners of Grade 5 diesel vehicles may experience inconvenience as DPF subsidies have been postponed to the latter half of this year, but our priority is to address public concerns through a thorough inspection." Park continued, "This inspection will be an opportunity to increase transparency and trust in our subsidy program."

1 A yearly process of cleaning smoke or particulate matter collected in the DPF

Contact: Chung Dae-chul, Deputy Director

Transportation Environment Division / +82-(0)44-201-6939

Foreign Media Contact: Chun Minjo(Rachel)

+82-(0)44-201-6055 / rachelmchun@korea.kr