Auto expert sees potential in after-sale market
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Kim Pil-soo
By Choi Kyong-ae
Kim Pil-soo, 56, is one of the country’s most in-demand automotive-engineering experts among journalists, government officials and company executives.
He has taught automotive engineering at Daelim University for the past 20 years, since February 1996, when the department came into existence. He studied automotive electric-electronic control systems at Dongkuk University.
“I am busy with six to seven events a day, such as interviews with reporters from broadcasting companies and newspapers, and lectures at carmakers, research institutes or government agencies,” Kim told The Korea Times in a telephone interview.
Korea’s automotive industry is only 40 years old and it has yet to be developed fully compared to advanced countries whose auto industries are usually 100 years old or older, Kim said.
“I feel obliged to play a part in further developing the country’s auto industry. As part of the efforts, I am planning to set up an automobile after-sales market research institute next year. The aim is to cultivate next-generation automotive experts,” he said.
The after-sales market refers to the process from car purchases to car scrapping services. It includes car rental service, insurance, recycling, auto parts, repairs, maintenance and secondhand car sales.
“The after-sales market currently reaches a whopping 90 trillion won in Korea. The used-car market accounts for 21 percent of the after-sales market, with an annual transaction of 3.3 million vehicles,” he said.
When he was a university student, Kim already saw growing business opportunities in the domestic auto sector. So he enrolled himself at a private education center to learn car repair and maintenance.
“One or two years of training at a car repair and maintenance center will be very helpful for those who seek a job in the automobile industry. They have to know how a car moves and what constitutes the car,” he said.
Kim said “convergence” is the key word for the development of the auto industry. There should be a lot of experts who have an understanding of a car itself as well as marketing and policies, he said.
For the time being, Kim appears to remain unrivaled because he represents six automobile-related associations, advises government officials and carmakers such as Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors.
Nearly every weekend, he goes out with his better half on a test-drive car for two reasons: to take a trip and to test the car’s performance.
Kim has been married for 26 years. His 24-year-old son studies mechanical engineering at Waseda University in Japan.