BMW Korea names new CEO

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Newly appointed CEO of BMW Korea Han Sang-yun. / Courtesy of BMW Korea

BMW Group Korea has named Han Sang-yun as its new CEO, replacing Kim Hyo-joon, who has headed the company here for 20 years.

Han will be in charge of business operations, while Kim, who has been leading the local unit since 2000, will remain as chairman, according to the Korean unit of the German auto giant, Monday.

“Kim has been at the helm of BMW Korea for nearly 20 years and we truly value his outstanding contribution to our company,” Hendrik von Kuenheim, BMW group senior vice president of the Asia-Pacific Region, said in a statement. “We are grateful that he will continue to share his knowledge, market insight and experience with us, in his role as chairman.

“With Han, I am confident we have a worthy successor to Kim and I look forward to working with him more closely.”

Han has 25 years' experience in the automotive industry. He was head of sales and marketing for MINI in Korea before becoming BMW Malaysia CEO in 2016.

Since returning to Korea last year, he has served as president, preparing to take over as CEO. Under the company's motto “one voice, one team,” he will seek to bring a positive transformation to the company.