Seoul: South Korea's cumulative electric vehicle (EV) registrations have exceeded the 1 million threshold, with more than 100,000 EVs newly registered in the initial four months of this year, according to government data released Tuesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a total of 106,939 EVs were sold this year as of Friday, based on data compiled by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. This indicates significant growth compared to both 2025 and 2024, as the latest findings show.

Last year, the 100,000-unit milestone was achieved in seven months, whereas in 2024, it took from January to September to reach this number. For the current year, EVs have accounted for more than 20 percent of all new cars sold by the end of March. This figure is notably higher when compared to the corresponding tallies of 13 percent and 8.9 percent for 2025 and 2024, respectively.

The ministry has attributed the recent surge in EV popularity to factors such as the Middle Eastern crisis, which has driven up fuel prices, the introduction of new EV models by automakers, and the government's EV promotion policy. The government remains committed to further expanding the distribution of EVs, including the continuation of EV subsidies, as stated by the ministry.