Korean President visits Hyundai Motor factory at Chennai

The visiting President of Korea, H.E. Lee Myung-bak, and the First Lady Kim Yoon-ok visited Hyundai Motor India factory in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. Mr Chung Mong-Koo Chairman & CEO, Hyundai-Kia Motor Group, was also present on the occasion.

The President visited Chennai on the sidelines of his State visit to New Delhi, as the Chief Guest of the Republic Day Parade, 2010.

The President and the First Lady visited the factory premises and interacted with the employees. The President also felicitated Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Korea, Chennai, for his continuous efforts in fostering greater Indo-Korean relationships.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr H W Park, MD, HMIL, said, "It is an honour for us to host the President and the First Lady at the Hyundai factory in Chennai today. His visit is full of symbolism with the East Asian region undergoing economic and structural changes. We are extremely proud of his presence here, and his kind words of encouragement have raised the morale of the management at HMIL."

The visit of the Korean President is a testimonial of the fact that India's economic integration into East Asian economies is growing at a fast pace. Korea's CEPA with India is the first free trade agreement with a member of the fast growing BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations. For India also, it is the first such agreement with a member state of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

His Excellency Lee Myung-bak is the 17th President of the Republic of Korea. He is a graduate of Business administration from the prestigious Korea University, and was one of the youngest CEOs to head Hyundai Engineering and Construction. His rich and varied experience reaches across many continents, from the Middle East to the Far East, Southeast Asia, Russia, Europe and South America.