SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea will introduce a mandatory weekly ``no-driving day'' for government officials, a measure aimed at conserving energy as oil prices rise, a government ministry said Monday.
Under the new initiative, set to start June 12, workers are obligated not to drive cars for one day out of each Monday-Friday working week, with the day determined by the last number on their license plates, said the Commerce, Industry and Energy Ministry.
Violators are not subject to fines but will be barred from entering government buildings, state-run agencies and local government offices across the country, said ministry official Jang Hong-joo.
The new measure will save an estimated 160 billion won (US$ 168 million; euro132 million) a year, compared with the current system that mandates public servants and officials at state-run organizations to not drive their cars one day out of every 10.
South Korea is the world's seventh-largest oil consumer, according to the ministry.
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