A scene from the parade held in 2018 to celebrate Jeju surpassing 10,000 electric vehicles. (Yonhap)
JEJU, May 22 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of electric vehicles actively operating on Jeju Island has surpassed 40,000, signaling a milestone in the island’s decade-long push toward greener transportation.
According to the Jeju Provincial Government on Wednesday, as of the end of April 2025, a total of 40,267 electric vehicles were registered and actively in use on the island. This figure excludes 11,448 EVs registered in Jeju but operated elsewhere as leased corporate vehicles, out of a total EV registration count of 51,715.
Electric vehicles now account for 9.77% of all vehicles on the island, with officials projecting the share will cross the 10% threshold by late June — a goal Jeju has pursued since launching its private-sector EV subsidy program in 2013.
Provincial authorities attributed the surge to aggressive policy support, noting that Jeju has led the nation in implementing highly tailored subsidy packages to encourage EV adoption. This year, new incentives include ₩1 million (approx. $740) for households with newborns and for vehicles equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging, along with a ₩500,000 subsidy for repeat EV buyers. Financial support for young buyers was also doubled from ₩500,000 to ₩1 million.
As a result, EV purchase applications in April jumped 70% year-over-year, driven in part by structural shifts in the automotive market. Sales of electric passenger cars rose 29% from a year earlier, while electric cargo vehicles saw a more than threefold increase, from 165 to 544 units.
Officials cited several factors behind the spike: the discontinuation of diesel models like Hyundai’s Porter and Kia’s Bongo, heightened interest in newly released EV models, and regulatory advantages such as exemptions from mandatory parking space certifications for EVs.
“This achievement is the result of expanded customized subsidies, systemic improvements, and proactive efforts by the EV industry,” said Yang Jae-yoon, Director of Jeju’s Bureau of Innovation and Industry. “We will continue pushing toward a sustainable EV ecosystem and the broader goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035.”
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
