[THE INVESTOR] The Environment Ministry was ordered by a local court on July 6 to temporarily suspend the sales ban on a compact crossover utility vehicle sold by the local unit of Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor.

The Seoul Administrative Court accepted the request for suspension of execution filed by Nissan Korea against the environment minister and the chief of a state-run environmental research center.

In June the ministry slapped fines of 340 million won (US$286,000) on Nissan Korea and banned sales of its Qashqai CUV after the company was cited for manipulating emissions results. The carmaker was also ordered to recall 814 vehicles sold in South Korea from November to May.

The court said the sales ban should be suspended until a separate court ruling is made on whether to nullify the government’s decision.

“If the prohibition of sales is executed, Nissan Korea will suffer from irreparable damages,” the court said.

Still, the court did not accept the carmaker’s request for suspension on fines levied on the company.

The ministry said it will appeal the ruling after supplementing relevant documents.

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