A new regulation has made it more difficult for residents to travel to South Korea to obtain a driver's license - which is easier, cheaper and less time-consuming than getting one in Shanghai - and then exchange it for a local equivalent.

Since the beginning of June, police have dismissed applications to exchange South Korean licenses for local licenses, even though the practice has been popular in Shanghai and other cities for many years.

The number of Chinese obtaining driver's licenses in South Korea rose from 7,000 in 2010 to around 25,000 in 2013, according to Global Times.