South Korea's two biggest carmakers, Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Corporation, saw their combined exports of eco-friendly cars surpass 200-thousand in the first half of this year for the first time.

According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association on Sunday, Hyundai and Kia exported a combined 224-thousand-672 eco-friendly vehicles during the first six months of the year, up 30-point-six percent from a year earlier.

Hyundai shipped 116-thousand-770 units in the cited period, up 22-point-one percent on-year, while Kia exported 107-thousand-902 vehicles, up 42-point-three percent.

It marks the first time the combined first-half figure exceeded 200-thousand.

If the current pace persists, the figure for the whole year is likely to surpass 400-thousand.

Last year, their combined exports of eco-friendly vehicles topped 300-thousand for the first time, up 38-point-two percent from a year earlier.