South Korea will further improve its automatic tolling system on major expressways as a way of reducing traffic congestion, the government said Tuesday.

The new and improved tolling system will be built around the existing Hi-Pass system, but without the large tolling booths that inevitably create a narrow passage for cars.

Currently, drivers using the automatic tolling system are required to greatly reduce their speed when passing through such a toll booth, as those booths also create possible obstacles.

The new system will instead only have overhead charging devices, allowing vehicles to pass through at normal speed, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said.

The new system will be set up on most major highways, including the Seoul-Busan expressway, by 2019.

"The new Hi-Pass system will help improve the driving safety of the country's expressways while also reducing traffic congestion,"
the ministry said in a press release.