South Korean President Moon Jae-in sought to promote the country's indigenously developed self-driving cars Friday, demonstrating their safety by riding in one himself.

The president was joined by an official from the local developer of autonomous cars, Hyundai Motor Co., for a 15-minute ride in a self-driving fuel cell electric vehicle on the Seoul-Busan expressway.

"Self-driving fuel cell vehicles are a new type of vehicle that are at the very front of the Moon Jae-in administration's drive for innovation-led growth," an official from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae told reporters. "The president is ready to personally visit and encourage any company that creates quality jobs while pushing for innovation-led growth."