Hyundai Group leader lauded for expanding ties with Brazil

Hyun Jeong-eun

Hyun Jeong-eun, the chairwoman of Hyundai Group, was awarded with a Grand Cross of Rio Branco by the Brazilian government yesterday for her contributions to expanding economic interactions between Korea and Brazil.

Hyundai Group said that Hyun received the honor from the Brazilian Ambassador to Korea, Edmundo Fujita, yesterday in an event in Seoul to celebrate Brazil’s liberation day. Hyun will be the third Korean to receive the award, after United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former Posco Chairman Lee Ku-taek.

“In the past, when I thought about Brazil, I imagined words like samba, football, coffee and Amazon. But now I think the word ‘amigo,’?” Hyun said. “I hope Hyundai Group and Brazil remain as true friends.”

Hyun and Brazil have been keeping their relationship close. The chairwoman was appointed as honorary ambassador to Brazil in April 2011, and the group signed a memorandum of understanding with the state of Rio Grande do Sul a month later.