The number of passenger cars in the country has exceeded ten-million one hundred years after the automobile was first introduced back in 1903. According to the estimate by the Ministry of Construction and Transportation, the number of passenger cars stood at around ten million 15-thousand as of last month. Privately-owned automobiles accounted for more than 96 percent of the total. Back in 19-45, shortly after the country was freed from Japanese colonization, there were only some 1300 cars in both South and North Korea. Forty years after that in 19-88, the number rapidly rose to reach one million. The number of passenger cars exceeded five million by 1994. By region, Gyeonggi Province topped the list with some 2-point-2 million registered cars followed by Seoul and Busan City.