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South Korea

ANPR for
South Korea

South Korean License Plate Format

South Korean vehicle registration plates use black characters on white background with blue anti-forgery holographic stripe (Euroband) on left edge added July 2020, serving as distinguishing country mark. Standard size 520×110mm (European style), also available in 335×155mm (North American style) and 440×220mm (large vehicles). Current single-line format introduced 2006 for government vehicles, expanded to private vehicles. Plates made of metal, always issued embossed (flat plates are unofficial replicas). Rear plates feature official seal over retaining screw to deter tampering. Format consists of vehicle class number (2-3 digits), Korean hangul character, and 4-digit serial number (1000-9999), all on one line. Starting 1997, serial numbers repeated in small stamped hangul on lower left. System overseen by Surface Transportation Bureau of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Pre-1973 plates white with blue lettering (still used for motorcycles), 1973-2003 plates used green with white (similar to Japanese design), two-line format with province/city and vehicle class on top line.

Plate Formats

123 가 4567 (3-digit vehicle class + hangul character + 4 digits)

Script

Korean hangul characters and Arabic numerals

Regional Codes

Private vehicles: Not applicable since 2006 – nationwide numbering system without regional codes
Commercial vehicles: Regional codes still in use with full province/city name in hangul (minus -do/-si suffix) on first line: 강원 (Gangwon), 경기 (Gyeonggi), 경남 (Gyeongnam), 경북 (Gyeongbuk), 광주 (Gwangju), 대구 (Daegu), 대전 (Daejeon), 부산 (Busan), 서울 (Seoul), 세종 (Sejong), 울산 (Ulsan), 인천 (Incheon), 전남 (Jeonnam), 전북 (Jeonbuk), 제주 (Jeju), 충남 (Chungnam), 충북 (Chungbuk)

Special Plate Types in South Korea

Police/Emergency

Black on white, format 998 L #### or 999 L #### (998 or 999 vehicle class + hangul character + 4 digits). Size 520×110mm with blue Euroband.

Rental Cars

Black on white, format 123 허 4567, restricted to specific hangul characters: 허 (Heo), 하 (Ha), 호 (Ho). Blue Euroband. Vehicle class numbers same as private vehicles.

Luxury Vehicles

Neon green background with black text, format 177 호 1336, mandatory for vehicles worth $58,000 and over. Includes blue Euroband. Same format as standard private vehicles.

Motorcycles

Blue text on white background, format: 1-2 hangul characters + 4 digits. District and registration center code displayed at top of plate. Smaller size than standard plates. Single rear plate only.

Military

White on black or black on white, format: Unit number + military branch symbol + serial number. Symbols: 육 (Yuk – Army), 해 (Hae – Navy), 공 (Gong – Air Force), 국 (Guk – Ministry of National Defense), 합 (Hap – Joint Chiefs of Staff). Standard sizes.

Construction Equipment

Orange/red background with white text, specific 2-digit equipment type codes: 01-Bulldozer, 02-Excavator, 03-Loader, and others. Circled word “commerce” (상품) replaces province name, organization name shown instead.

Diplomatic

White text on a blue background. 외교 ###-### (외교 on top + six-digit number); first three digits identify the country/embassy, last three are serial. Alternative format: 외빈 ### on a dark blue background.

Commercial Vehicles

Yellow background with blue (taxi/bus) or black text, two-line format: [Province/City] ## / 가 1234. Vehicle classes by number: 11–69 taxis, 70–79 vans/buses, 80–97 freight trucks, 98–99 specialized vehicles. Hangul: 바·사·아·자 (taxi/bus), 배 (delivery).

Temporary

White background with red vertical stripe, format: region code + letters “PR” vertically on red band + L##-### (1 letter + 2 digits + hyphen + 3 digits). Metal plates for dealers: region code + city crest + L## (1 letter + 2 digits).

Key features of the ANPR for South Korea

Accuracy

97% – 99%

Supported plates

European, South American, Asian and South African, Middle East

Lpr + Container

It can run with Container Recognition support

SDK support

C++ / C# / Java / Python

Image & Stream Based Recognition

Windows x64, Ubuntu, Arm

Analytics

Our LPR application performs vehicle Make, Color, and Type classification.

Android

Supports Android phones and tablets.

Adr Plate

Performs additional ADR plate recognition alongside standard license plate recognition.

License Plate Country Classification.

Germany / Poland / Türkiye… etc.

CPU & GPU

Supports both CPU and GPU processing.

Multiple Plate Recognition

Supports detection and recognition of multiple license plates in a single image or frame

Interested in South Korean License Plate Recognition?

Let us know and discover how our ANPR solution can transform your operations!

Global Coverage

Our ANPR system supports license plate recognition across multiple countries and regions. Each implementation is optimized for local plate formats, scripts, and regulatory requirements to ensure accurate detection in diverse environments.