유료고속도로의 성격과 법적 문제

Toll roads are considered as one of the nation's important social infrastructure facilities, which is an exception to the principle of free road disclosure. Korea introduced the toll roads system by enacting the Toll Road Act in 1963 for the purpose of facilitating road construction or maintenance and enhancing customer convenience in using transportation services. Toll roads have since been managed in various forms such as privately-invested expressways, or publicly-invested expressways executed by the Korea Expressway Corporation. However, recent social circumstances have rapidly changed both at home and overseas surrounding the expressways, due to downward priorities in the context of investments in the highways sector as a result of the execution of a variety of the government-funded construction projects; the growing demand for the changes in the transportation system made by the enforcement of the 'low carbon green growth' policy. And increasingly these are global questions as low carbon comes to be recognized as transnational and issues of highways extend beyond geopolitical borders. In addition, increasing complaints have been expressing from the expressway users, some civil groups and political circles around the toll road system in Korea. This is particularly important as highways and toll road system illuminate broader areas of economic and social life and, most important of all, because these are issues that influence the everyday life of us all. In this respect, this study aims to provide insights on how to enhance the status of highway users in terms of the expressway toll-collection policies by analyzing toll road act and the highways policies. In this paper I will draw together the some conclusions arising from the practical field and consider the legal and policy issues arising from these.