18 automakers fined $8.17 mil. for subpar safety standards

Vehicles waits at the storage yard near the export pier at Hyundai Motors Ulsan-fabriek in Ulsan, Nov. 2, 2021. Yonhap

The transport ministry said Tuesday it has imposed fines totaling 11.7 billion won ($8.17 million) on 18 foreign and domestic automakers for selling cars with inadequate safety standards.

Of those, the imported brands included BMW Korea, Honda Korea, Mercedes-Benz Korea and Tesla Korea, while the domestic manufacturers included Hyundai Motor, Kia and KG Mobility, according to the ministry.

The ministry said the fines were based on corrective measures against defective parts of the companies' models from July to December of last year.

BMW Korea received the largest fine of 2.99 billion won over issues involving defective steering wheels in 13 models.

KG Mobility was given a 1.88 billion-won fine, followed by Honda Korea with 1.09 billion won, Renault Korea with 1 billion won and Mercedes-Benz Korea with 899 million won. (Yonhap)