SEOUL - Hyundai Motor Co will recall 26,699 electric vehicles including Kona EVs in South Korea due to potential fire risks, South Korea's transport ministry said on Wednesday.

The recall will replace the vehicles' battery systems and applies to 25,083 Kona EVs, starting March 29, the ministry said in a statement.

It is Hyundai's second recall for the Kona, its best-selling electric vehicle and follows a decision by South Korean authorities this year to launch a probe into whether the previous recall was adequate. The first recall occurred in October after a series of fires but in January one of the recalled vehicles caught fire. 

The Kona EV uses batteries manufactured by LG Chem Ltd's wholly owned battery division LG Energy Solution.

(Reporting by Heekyong Yang and Joyce Lee; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Edwina Gibbs) ((Heekyong.Yang@thomsonreuters.com; +82 2 6936 1470;))