The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it will buy a domestic bulletproof limousine to serve visiting state leaders and high-ranking officials ahead of the 2012 Seoul nuclear security summit.

The ministry will be purchasing a Hyundai Equus limousine in November as the first locally produced bulletproof vehicle to be used for diplomatic services.

The purchase “has a symbolic meaning for domestic carmakers,” a ministry official said. “The decision was made considering efficiency and price.”

The ministry currently has three bulletproof vehicles, all of which are imported models from Mercedes Benz and Cadillac.

Hyundai’s Equus, the first local bulletproof model selected as official vehicles for the G20 summit last year, is also being used by the Presidential Security Service.

(hayney@heraldcorp.com)