By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Could Hyundai Motor, Korea's biggest carmaker, survive a recall on the scale of that of Toyota?
Some foreigners apparently think that such an occurrence could be devastating not just to the carmaker but also the image of made-in-Korea goods in general.
Though they didn't say as much out loud, their responses to a recent survey imply that many Korean products are behind their Japanese equivalents in recognition and quality, and that any bad publicity has the potential to spill over and affect the entire line of Korean products.
Nearly 50 percent of 101 foreign respondents said a car recall could leave an indelible strain on other Korean-made products, with 27 percent saying it would deepen foreigners' distrust in Korean goods and Korea in general.
The survey was carried out on 228 Koreans and foreigners well-informed on Korea at the initiative of Prof. Choi Jung-hwa, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and a key advisor to the Presidential Council on National Branding.
She said the survey results deliver a "meaningful" message to local car makers.
"The results should be taken seriously by Korean automakers in particular and industry leaders overall," she said, calling for elaborate efforts to preventing the occurrence of a Toyota-like recall. She added that the survey was planned and conducted before Hyundai recalled some of its vehicles sold in the United States.
Hyundai Motor is recalling about 46,000 of its new Sonata sedans sold here and another 1,300 in the United States for what it calls a "minor" problem with their door locks.
About 16 percent of the foreign respondents expected recalls would have little negative impact on domestic carmakers, believing that "public confidence in Korean cars remains far behind that of Japanese vehicles worldwide."
In the survey, the respondents encouraged the Korean government to use the Formula 1 race event scheduled for October in Yeognam, South Jeolla Province, as a means to promote made-in-Korea products.
The respondents called for wider media coverage of the international event to raise public awareness about the sport.