Top U.S. envoy on North Korea to join Hyundai Motor
Sung Kim
Hyundai Motor appointed Sung Kim, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea, as an adviser for the company's global business as the automaker grapples with the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The Korean automaker said Kim will join the company in January after his retirement from the U.S. State Department.
Kim's major role will be to advise the company in "setting strategies to target overseas markets, responding to global supply chains and exploring new market opportunities," Hyundai said.
Born in 1960, Kim recently ended his term as U.S. ambassador to Indonesia. He was appointed special envoy to North Korea by U.S. President Joe Biden in 2021 after holding the role as special envoy to six-party talks in a previous administration.
Joining the U.S. foreign service in 1988, Kim served as the U.S. ambassador to South Korea from 2011 to 2014 and as ambassador to the Philippines from 2016 to 2020.
Kim's appointment comes as Hyundai is accelerating its business in the United States while navigating the impact of the IRA, which offers up to $7,500 in tax credit for electric vehicles assembled in North America.
Hyundai Motor currently has no EV assembly lines in the United States, but has begun construction for one in Georgia that is slated to start operation in late 2024.
Hyundai and Kia plan to launch 31 EVs by 2030.
BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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