This picture provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government shows the city's self-driving taxi during a nighttime test-drive, Sept. 25. Yonhap

The city of Seoul will launch a nighttime self-driving taxi service this week in the busy Gangnam district in the southern part of the capital, the first of its kind in Korea, officials said Wednesday.

Three self-driving taxis — Korando Emotion by KG Mobility — will begin service on Thursday, transferring passengers across an 11.7-square-kilometer area in central Gangnam and part of the neighboring Seocho district between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The city said the service marks the country's first nighttime self-driving taxis.

Passengers can summon a taxi using the Kakao T application, where the "Seoul self-driving car" icon will be available to tap if a taxi is available.

Each taxi can accommodate up to three passengers and will be equipped with a "test driver."

The vehicles will operate autonomously on roads with four or more lanes, while the driver will take control on narrow roads adjacent to residential areas or in school zones.

The service will be available for free until the end of the year, from Monday to Friday.

In the first half of next year, the city plans to expand the service and the number of vehicles in the Gangnam district, considering demand from the public and feedback from the taxi industry, and turn it into a fee-based business. (Yonhap)