Controversial 'YUT G0R' license plate sells for $52,000 after legal challenge

A personalized license plate, "YUT G0R," which phonetically resembles the Cantonese slang for "Number One Brother" or "Chief," was sold for HK$52,000 at auction on Saturday—more than ten times its starting price.

The sale comes after the Transport Department initially rejected the plate, only to reverse its decision following a legal challenge.

Bidding war at auction

The "YUT G0R" plate was one of 100 custom registration marks auctioned today at the Wan Chai Convention and Exhibition Centre.

It had a starting price of HK$5,000. The bidding quickly escalated, jumping to HK$30,000 on the second bid and then to HK$50,000, before finally selling for HK$52,000 on the fourth bid.

In the same auction, the plate "KWA1FUNG," a phonetic rendering of "Kwai Fung," a name popularized by the movie Night King, sold for HK$9,000 after five bids.

Reversal after judicial review filing

The "YUT G0R" plate was at the center of a dispute last year. In November, a citizen surnamed Leung had his application for the plate rejected by the Transport Department.

The department argued that "YUT G0R" was slang for the head of a government department and that a vehicle bearing it could be reasonably seen as representing a government entity.

Leung challenged the decision as inconsistent and unreasonable, noting that the department had previously approved the similar plate "1GOR." In February, he filed for a judicial review in the High Court to have the rejection overturned.

Although a hearing was scheduled, it was ultimately canceled.

The Transport Department sent letters to Leung in March and April stating that it had reconsidered his application after seeking legal advice from the Department of Justice.

The Commissioner for Transport decided to exercise discretionary power to approve the "YUT G0R" plate and proceed with putting it up for public auction.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓