The government plans to increase electric vehicle(EV) charging stations across the nation to over 500-thousand by 2025. 

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki announced the plan on Thursday while presiding over a meeting on strategies to foster three key innovative growth sectors - semiconductor, future cars and bio health. 

Hong said the government seeks to open the mass commercialization era for non-polluting vehicles, such as EVs and hydrogen fuel cell cars, earlier than planned by proactively setting up charging infrastructure. 

Under the plan, over 12-thousand high-speed charging stations for EVs will be set up at expressway stopovers and other venues while at least 500-thousand regular EV chargers will be established within a five-minute walk of most residences.  

Over two-thousand-300 charging stations will also be in place for commercial vehicles such as buses and taxis. 

As for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the government will set up at least 70 more additional refueling stations in the second half of the year.