Hyundai Motor Company has received a permit to test run its self-driving car on public roads in South Korea.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday issued its first provisional operation license to put a self-driving version of the Genesis on roads.

Hyundai plans to begin test drives of the vehicle on actual roads later this month. The test drives will be conducted on one section of a highway and six others on public roads.

The self-driving Genesis sedan has already been tested on routes spanning 12-thousand kilometers.

The model has the function with which drivers can turn off the automatic driving mode by controlling the steering wheel or stepping on the brakes. 

The car also has a safety-enhancing device that automatically detects any malfunctions of major car parts.

The ministry plans to commercialize self-driving vehicles by 2020.