Almost Half the Population Holds a Driver"s License

Citizens with a driver's license have topped the 20-million borderline.
According to the National Police Agency (NPA) Thursday, the number of licensed drivers in the nation as of May surpassed the 20-million level and as of September totaled 20.56 million, almost half of the 47 million total population.
This is specifically about 44 percent of the populace, a number which has risen almost three-fold in 10 years, compared to 1989's 7.2 million, 17 percent of all citizens.
As only those over 18 years can hold a license, in fact 60 percent of those eligible have licenses.
Women drivers in particular have multiplied - women held only 10.7 percent of the total number of licenses 10 years ago, a number which has increased seven-fold. Female drivers now occupy 25.8 percent or 5.3 million of the total.
The police commented that, 'As half of the nation can drive, our automobile culture should be developed in the future.'
Bong Hwa-shik:trojans@joongang.co.kr