Complaint against Volkswagen

Ministry of Environment of Korea
Ministry of Environment of Korea

 

On January 19, the Ministry of Environment filed a complaint with the Seoul Central Prosecutor's Office against Johannes Thammer, managing director of Audi Volkswagen Korea, claiming that the company submitted an insufficient recall plan with regard to its 125,000 or so diesel vehicles with manipulated exhaust gas reduction devices.

According to the Clean Air Conservation Act of Korea, anyone ordered by the Minister of Environment to recall a product has to prepare a recall plan to be approved of by the minister and the violation of the recall order is subject to a fine of up to 30 million won or up to five years in prison.

The ministry is planning to bring additional charges with respect to the non-certification of manufactured vehicles and the violation of the indoor air quality certification standards, too. “We left the two parts untouched at this time because the fact of the violation had yet to be confirmed,” the ministry explained, adding, “We are going to determine whether or not to file a suit regarding these issues after consulting with the Korean Government Legal Service.”

Audi Volkswagen Korea is required to submit a new recall plan with its latest one rejected by the ministry.

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