A shared e-scooter in Korea rents through an app and feels like a bicycle. The law sees it differently. Under the Road Traffic Act an e-scooter is a “personal mobility device”, which is a kind of motorised bicycle. So you need a licence, you must wear a helmet, and only one person may ride. We read the articles, the Enforcement Rule and the Decree’s penalty tables as written.
1. You need a licence. A motorised-bicycle licence cannot be issued to anyone under 16 (article 82), and riding without one carries a penalty charge of 100,000 won. A guardian who lets a child under 13 ride is fined 100,000 won.
2. Helmets are compulsory. Riding without one costs 20,000 won, and passengers must wear one too.
3. One rider per scooter. E-scooters and self-balancing two-wheelers carry 1 person, fully motor-powered bicycles 2; exceeding that costs 40,000 won.
What an e-scooter is in law
Road Traffic Act, article 2 item 19-2 “Personal mobility device” means a motorised bicycle under item 19(b) whose motor does not operate at 25 km/h or more and whose body weighs less than 30 kg, as prescribed by ordinance of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
Article 2-3 of the Enforcement Rule names three types — e-scooters, self-balancing two-wheelers, and bicycles that can move on motor power alone — limited to those with a completed safety confirmation under the Electrical Appliances and Household Goods Safety Act. Article 2 item 21-2 of the Act groups bicycles and personal mobility devices together as “bicycles and the like”; that is the column for scooters in the penalty tables below.
Licences — 16, and 13
Article 43 bans driving “motor vehicles and the like” without a licence, and motorised bicycles fall into that group. Article 82(1)1 bars anyone under 16 from a motorised-bicycle licence. Annex 8 of the Decree gives unlicensed riding of a personal mobility device its own line (item 1-4) with a penalty charge of 100,000 won.
Guardians carry a separate duty. Article 11(4) says the guardian of a child (under 13) must not let the child ride a personal mobility device on the road, and Annex 6 of the Decree fines the guardian 100,000 won.
The penalty tables — scooter lines only
| Violation | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Riding without a licence | Penalty charge 100,000 won | Act art. 43 · Decree Annex 8 item 1-4 |
| Guardian letting a child under 13 ride | Fine 100,000 won | Act art. 11(4) · Decree Annex 6 item 1-3 |
| Carrying more than the limit | Penalty charge 40,000 won | Act art. 50(10) · Decree Annex 8 item 3-4 |
| No helmet | Penalty charge 20,000 won | Act art. 50(4) · Decree Annex 8 item 38-2 |
Annex 8 groups several items in one cell with one set of amounts. No helmet (item 38-2) shares the cell for items 21 to 43, whose amount for “bicycles and the like and handcarts” is 20,000 won; carrying too many (item 3-4) shares a cell with item 3-3, at 40,000 won. How we read the cells is our own; the amount on your notice prevails.
Helmets and passenger limits — set by the Rule
Article 50(4) of the Act requires riders of bicycles and the like to wear protective gear prescribed by ministerial ordinance on cycle paths and roads under the Road Act, and to make passengers wear it too. Article 32(2) of the Rule defines that gear as a helmet meeting the motorcycle-helmet criteria for vision, hearing, impact absorption, secure fastening, weight (2 kg or less) and structure.
Passenger limits are in article 33-3 of the Rule: 1 person for e-scooters and self-balancing two-wheelers, 2 for bicycles that move on motor power alone. Two people on a scooter breaches article 50(10).
Where to ride — not on the pavement, as a rule
Article 13-2 sets how bicycles and the like travel: on the cycle path where there is one, otherwise close to the right edge of the road. Paragraph (4) allows the pavement in three cases, and the first — for children, older people and disabled people — is worded as applying “when riding a bicycle.” For a scooter only two remain: where safety signs permit it and where the road is impassable because of damage, works or similar.
- Unless signs allow it, do not ride two or more abreast in the roadway (paragraph 5).
- At a crosswalk, get off and walk the device across (paragraph 6).
Checklist — before you rent
- ☐ A licence that covers motorised bicycles (not possible under 16)
- ☐ A helmet — bring one if the service does not provide it
- ☐ Riding alone — scooters carry 1 person
- ☐ No riding for children under 13 — the fine goes to the guardian
Questions that remain
Are e-bikes the same?
No. “Bicycle” in article 2 item 20 includes electric bicycles under the Act on the Promotion of the Use of Bicycles. A pedal-assist e-bike is a bicycle; a bicycle that moves on motor power alone is a personal mobility device.
What about riding after drinking?
The drink-driving ban applies to scooters too. We did not reproduce the penalty amounts and criminal standards here. How drink-driving is handled for cars is in drink-driving and test refusal.
Sources
- Road Traffic Act [in force 1 Jul 2026] [Act No. 21246] — original text (checked 29 September 2026). Source for article 2 items 19-2, 20 and 21-2, article 11(4), article 13-2, article 43, article 50(4) and (10) and article 82(1)1.
- Enforcement Rule of the Road Traffic Act [in force 24 Aug 2026] [Ministry of the Interior and Safety Ordinance No. 636] — original text. Source for article 2-3 (three types, safety confirmation), article 32(2) (helmet) and article 33-3 (1 and 2 persons).
- Enforcement Decree of the Road Traffic Act [in force 1 Aug 2026] [Presidential Decree No. 36114] — Annex 8, penalty charges (100,000, 40,000 and 20,000 won) and Annex 6, fines (guardian, 100,000 won).
Where to check further
- Whether your licence covers it — the class on your licence and the Korea Road Traffic Authority.
- Helmet and licence checks on shared services — each app’s terms.
Written on 29 September 2026. Articles and annexes are from the National Law Information Center; the table layout is ours. Amounts near schools are in school-zone fines.
