Korea will reduce the speed limit to 50 kilometers per hour on city streets by 2021 in an effort to cut down on pedestrian accidents, the transportation ministry said Tuesday.

In a long-term plan on traffic safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said the maximum speed in downtown areas will be lowered to 50 kph from the current 60 kph in the coming five years.

On side streets, the limit will be set at 30 kph, with safety zones for children and seniors to be expanded.

The government will also tighten rules on driving licenses for aged drivers and those who drive heavy duty trucks.

The measures are designed to decrease pedestrian-fatal accidents, which account for nearly 40 percent of all deaths on the road.

The ministry said it will reduce the number of people killed in traffic accidents to 2,700 by 2021 from 4,300 tallied last year. (Yonhap)