SEOUL - The number of vehicle registrations in South Korea has seen a modest increase of 0.7 percent in the first half of the year, reaching over 26 million units, largely driven by a surge in eco-friendly vehicles, according to data released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
According to Yonhap News Agency, The ministry's recent statement highlighted that total vehicle registrations climbed to 26.13 million by the end of June, up from 25.95 million at the end of 2023. This growth is attributed primarily to the rising popularity of environmentally friendly vehicles such as all-electric, hydrogen-powered, and gasoline hybrid models, which helped compensate for the decline in registrations of traditional combustion engine vehicles. Notably, registrations of diesel vehicles have decreased continuously since 2021, whereas gasoline hybrid models have seen a sharp increase, despite a slowdown in electric vehicle sales. By the end of June, eco-friendly car registrations stood at 2.41 million units, marking a 12 percent increase from 2.12 million at the end of December, while registrations of gasoline, diesel, and liquefied natural gas-powered models fell by 0.5 percent.