Renault Samsung appoints first Korean research head

Kwon Sang-soon

By Lee Hyo-sik

Renault Samsung said Thursday that it has appointed a Korean national as the chief of its research and development (R&D) division for the first time in the company’s 15-year history.

Kwon Sang-soon, a senior vice president at the Korean unit of French automaker Renault, became the firm’s R&D head because of his role in the development of the SM5 sedan and the QM5 sports utility vehicle (SUV).

Renault Samsung is the first to appoint a Korean to head a research center among foreign carmakers operating in Korea, the company said. Kwon’s predecessors were French or other non-Korean nationals dispatched from the parent company in France.

After graduating from Seoul National University with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in shipbuilding, Kwon began his career at Samsung Motor. In 2002, he joined Renault Samsung, which was founded in September 2000. He led an R&D team developing the SM5 sedan and the QM5 SUV from 2002 through 2006.

“For the past 15 years, our R&D division heads were non-Koreans sent by group headquarters,” a Renault Samsung spokesman said. “Kwon’s appointment shows that the head office has begun recognizing the R&D capability of Renault Samsung. We are the first among foreign automakers here to have a Korean R&D head.”

The automaker’s R&D, located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, is tasked with design, procurement and quality control for its vehicles, the spokesman said.

“The center has also become a research hub for our affiliates operating across Asia,” he said.