South Korean transportation ministry said Tuesday that it has ordered the South Korean unit of Japanese automaker Toyota to recall 12,984 vehicles in the country over defect that could cause serious safety problems.

A total of three models, Lexus ES350, Camry and Camry Hybrid, will be subject to the recall as their floor mats cause unintended accelerations, the ministry said.

The ministry said the problem was not found in cars manufactured after late-January this year.

Hisao Nakabayashi, president of Toyota's Korean unit, held a press conference Tuesday to make a public apology to customers in South Korea.

"I sincerely apologize for causing inconvenience and worries to the South Korean customers who trusted our products," Nakabayashi said.

The recall came after weeks of denial from Toyota's Korean unit that its vehicles sold in South Korea had safety problems despite the automaker's recent global massive recall due to fault in floor mat, accelerator pedal and brake system.

Free repairs will be offered to affected vehicles at Toyota's designated service centers from April 19, the ministry added.