South Korea to fine Nissan for allegedly bogus emission data

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's Environment Ministry said Monday that it will fine Nissan's South Korean operation for manipulating emissions tests on its sports utility vehicle models, an allegation Nissan is denying.

Hong Dong-kon, a director at the ministry, said the SUV's emission reduction device stopped operating when the engine's temperature reaches 35 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), about 30 minutes after the engine began to work.

When the emission reduction device stopped working, the Nissan vehicle's level of emissions was about the same or slightly higher than that of diesel cars of Volkswagen, which was fined for cheating on emissions tests.