Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
Hyundai Steel plans to build Chongqing plant
By Park Jin-hai
Hyundai Steel, which recently merged with Hyundai Hysco, plans to build a steel processing facility in Chongqing, China.
Construction of the Steel Service Center (SSC), the company’s overseas sales outlet for automotive steel, is expected to start by the end of the year at the earliest. It will provide steel for Hyundai Motor, which has been building a plant there to make small sedans and SUVs targeting Chinese customers.
The size of the investment has not been disclosed, but industry insiders say it will be nearly 50 billion won.
In line with Hyundai’s overseas plant expansion, the company has been building a SSC in Mexico to supply steel to a Kia Motors plant that has a capacity of 300,000 vehicles a year.
The company previously said it would establish five new SSCs. Industry watchers say that its next location will be within Southeast Asia.
Unlike rival POSCO, which operates nearly 10 processing centers in the region, Hyundai Steel has only one processing facility, in India.
Hyundai Steel’s steel processing centers accounted for 67.4 percent of Hysco’s total sales last year.
“Although the construction schedule for the Chongqing center hasn’t been fixed yet, with the new center we will further expand our business throughout the country,” a company official said.