KBS World Radio Korea Panorama 70 Years'

Until the end of the 1960s, Korea’s automobile production consisted merely of parts assembly. Companies like Seanara Motors, Shinjin Motors, Asia Motors and Hyundai Motors jumped into auto assembly. In the 1970s, the government sought to domestically produce automobiles and began to support the auto industry. As a result, Kia became the first to develop a passenger car with an engine made in Korea, dubbed Brisa.

Meanwhile, Hyundai became the company that produced the country’s first domestically designed car with the release of the Pony Sedan and Pony Coupé. With the creation of the Pony, South Korea became the second country in Asia and the 16^th in the world to mass produce autonomously designed automobiles. By 1976, the Pony took over 60% of the domestic market and began exporting to Ecuador. The automobile industry began to grow at an exponential rate near the end of the 70s, as the country’s economy flourished thanks to the government’s fostering of the heavy chemical industry and construction projects in the Middle East.