Hankook Tire Names New Head of Europe Headquarters

There is a new man at the helm of Hankook’s European operations. On November 13 the South Korean manufacturer announced the appointment of Mr. Jin-Wook Choi, executive vice president and member of the board of Hankook Tire Co, Ltd. to the position of Head of Europe Headquarters. Mr. Choi brings to the position more than 33 years of international business experience with Hankook, including more than eight years at top management level.

According to Hankook, the business economics graduate provides profound experience both in managing sales operations as well as steering product facilities from his previous positions as a company executive in North America and later in China. For Mr. Choi, this latest appointment also means a return to familiar territory; from the mid to late 1990s he served as the managing director for Hankook Tire’s German subsidiary.

“As the mid-term goal we want to anchor the Hankook brand among the European premium tyre manufacturers,” said Mr. Choi. “Our products are already developed and produced to fulfil even the highest demands from leading European car manufacturers. Now we need to focus our efforts on informing consumers about our innovative, technologically advanced and environmental friendly tyres engineered and made in Europe for European drivers.”

Mr Choi assumes the role from Mr. Seung-Do Jin who Hankook says played a major role in successfully expanding the company’s European activities, particularly with the start of the company’s European tyre manufacturing plant in Hungary, which opened in June 2007. Mr. Jin will officially retire at the end of December 2008.