It also fined Volkswagen Korea 14.1 billion won ($12.31 million), the steepest financial penalty imposed on an automaker in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy, a decision that could scare some buyers off imported cars generally.
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After the United States, South Korea is the second country fining Volkswagen AG over the misleading emission levels.
The German automaker has pledged to fix 11 million vehicles worldwide that were discovered to contain software that enables them to cheat on emissions tests for nitrogen oxide.
In its letter to Volkswagen, the agency noted that though the 3.0 liter engine was developed by Audi, it has been used by VW and Porsche in their Touareg and Porsche models since 2009.
He said there were numerous factors in play in the case but told the court he had “read the papers” and was aware Volkswagen’s United Kingdom chief had publicly apologised to its customers just last month.
The ministry said it will continue to run additional tests on models equipped with the EA288 engine.
The models subjected to the recall order include Tiguan and the Volkswagen Beetle and Audi Q6, Q3 and A4.
Volkswagen has been fined nearly £8.7 million and ordered to recall 125,000 cars in South Korea.
The environment ministry said that the Tiguan equipped with the EA189 engine was found to have faked its emissions results by using the so-called defeat device. In Europe, two of the engines under investigation are a 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter diesel labeled EA 189.
To encourage customers to return their cars, the ministry said it would distribute stickers to be attached to vehicles that have completed the recall procedure to remind those who have yet to bring their cars in. Volkswagen Team has actually sent a proposition to bring those engines as much as the specification too after an admission that software had actually been inserted in virtually 500,000 of them to rip off on discharges tests. A defeat device alters emissions-control systems in a way that violated clean-air laws.
The company has 45 business days to call back its models featuring software that the regulators think could distort emissions tests.
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The South Korean ministry also said that it will expand the investigation into other auto brands, and that the result will be announced in April 2016.
