In 1961, General Park Chung-hee took over power via a military coup. He had an ambitious plan to build the nation's industry, and automotive industry was one of his longshot dreams. To that end, in 1962, he banned all imported automobiles, and forced foreign automakers to hire a Korean firm for the final assembly of their vehicles. The ban would stay until 1987 for non-Japanese vehicles, and 1998 for Japanese vehicles.

Toyota came to South Korea at this time, partnering with Shinjin. The Publica was one of several Toyota products that Shinjin produced under license, commencing production in 1967. Shinjin's Toyota lineup also included the Crown luxury car, the Corona midsize car popular with taxi drivers, and the Land Cruiser utility. Due to the size and low cost, the Publica was the choice for those who wanted to do their own driving.

The Publica, powered by a 697cc engine producing 28 horsepower, was very small and efficient; many said that the car could run on gasoline fumes alone. It was also quite cute; in an era when very few women were allowed to drive at all, a young woman in scarf, sunglasses, and white gloves driving a red Publica like this would have been the envy of an entire city. However, being air-cooled, it was prone to overheating. Thanks to the Publica, South Korean rule of thumb for long-distance driving has been to take a 10-minute break every two hours, and the rule has stuck even with today's superior vehicles.