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GM Korea CEO visits Changwon plant amid U.S. tariff-related exit concerns

Published: 16 May. 2025, 14:46

In this photo provided by GM Korea, the CEO Hector Villarreal talks to employees at the company's Changwon plant on May 15. [YONHAP]

The CEO of GM Korea, the Korean unit of General Motors, has visited the automaker's Changwon plant to encourage employees amid growing concerns over a potential withdrawal driven by shifting U.S. tariff policies, the company said Friday.

GM Korea CEO Hector Villarreal visited the plant on Thursday to meet with employees and reinforce on-site management, the company said in a press release.

Speculations over GM's possible exit from Korea have been mounting following the imposition of a 25 percent tariff on imported vehicles in the United States since April, along with the automaker's lack of new models and sluggish sales.

GM Korea ships about 85 percent of its exports to the United States.

The Detroit-based automaker operates two plants in Korea: one in Bupyeong, just west of Seoul, and another in Changwon.

The Bupyeong plant produces the Trailblazer SUV, while the Changwon factory manufactures the Trax Crossover for both domestic sales and exports.

In the January-April period, GM Korea's sales fell 9.1 percent to 154,161 vehicles, down from 169,638 units a year earlier.

Yonhap