Porsche with S'pore licence plate spotted in Seoul, people wonder how it got there

A Porsche Panamera was spotted in Seoul, South Korea recently, leading to speculation online about how it even got there.

Even though Singapore is connected to South Korea by land via Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, China, and North Korea, driving is unlikely a viable option.

Spotted in Seoul

The dark grey Porsche Panamera was initially spotted on a road in Seoul by a Korean Threads user, who remarked on the unusual foreign licence plate in a Jun. 11 post: "Which country's licence plate is this?".

Foreign licence plates are a rarity in South Korea.

One exception is that foreigners intending to reside for at least a year, or planning a stay of at least six months, are allowed to bring in a foreign-registered vehicle as part of their moving cargo.

Upon registering their vehicle in Korea, a temporary licence plate is typically provided.

However, it is extremely unlikely that the Porsche Panamera in Seoul falls into this category.

This is because, as pointed out by eagle-eyed users, the licence plate on it is currently registered to a completely different Porsche vehicle in Singapore.

Likely deregistered for export

The Porsche Macan 4 that spots the same licence plate is an electric car launched in 2024.

It is much newer than the Porsche Panamera line, which saw its first generation introduced back in 2010.

Additionally, this particular grey Panamera appears to be a 2014 model that was given a facelift in 2024 by local used car exporter Prestige Auto Export.

A Google search showed that the used car was previously listed for sale, but the listings have since been removed.

The most likely case, it appears, is that the Panamera was deregistered in Singapore before being exported to Seoul.

In 2024, Porsche was one of the top 10 imported car brands in Korea, Business Korea reported.

As to how the owner in South Korea retained the original licence plate, and for how long, remains a mystery.

Top image from kojsm/Threads & Yanti, Prestige Auto Export/YouTube