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By Park Si-soo
Which company benefited the most from Pope Francis' visit to Korea? No one can deny it was the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group.
Three popular vehicles from the country's biggest automaker ㅡ Kia's Soul, Hyundai's Santa Fe and Kia's Carnival ㅡ transported the 77-year-old Roman Catholic leader from place to place during his visit, giving the vehicles international exposure.
Kia Motors' compact sport utility vehicle, the Soul, drew the most attention because it was the car that awaited the arrival of the pontiff at a high-profile welcoming ceremony at Seoul Airport, located just outside of the capital, on Thursday morning.
In a live television broadcast, the Pope climbed into the back seat of the box-shaped Kia Soul, opened the window and waved. Surrounded by a few bigger black sedans, the compact car headed toward Seoul from the southern suburb of Seongnam.
In one U.S. newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel, the headline read: "Pope seen bestowing halo on Kia's Soul."
Numerous influential international media outlets ㅡ among them, the Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, the Huffington Post, ABC, Fox News, the Guardian and the Telegraph ㅡ churned out stories about the 1,600-cc compact SUV.
Most stories emphasized the Pope's choice of a small car over something larger and more expensive, with The Wall Street Journal describing it as a "display of humility."
The publication called the Pope's decision to ride in a small, locally manufactured car another way of "blessing the little ones" and remarked that the Soul's presence at papal events had given the Korean carmaker some much-needed publicity.
Not every story included the brand name in its headline, but most stories showed photos of the Pope waving to the crowd from the back seat.
"This will help Kia by bringing far-reaching exposure through the mass media," said Kim Jin-kook, chief executive officer of the market research organization Marketing Insight. "That exposure is connected with the Pope, who has a very positive image among the general public, which in turn will trigger a halo effect for Kia."
Kia sold 2,300 Souls in Korea in the first half of this year. It also sold 75,000 in the United States, 4,400 in Europe and 2,800 in South America, according to data from the company.
Since his election last year, the pontiff has stressed to the Catholic clergy the importance of frugality and asked them to forego expensive limousines.
Prior to the visit, Pope Francis reportedly requested the smallest Korean car available during his five-day visit. The Soul is Kia's second-smallest model, one that provides more legroom than other compact cars.
Kia said in a statement it was "honored" that the Pope had chosen to ride in the car.
The Soul was Kia's fourth-most-popular vehicle overseas last year, according to company data. In Korea, the main demographic for the Soul is "extroverted women in their 30s," according to Marketing Insight.
The second-generation Soul was introduced last year at the New York Auto Show. The original model was first unveiled in 2008 and became a hit in the United States.
"Kia is hoping for a global impact as the Soul is one of the carmaker's best-selling models in the United States and recently has also gained market share in Europe," said Lee Sang-hyun, an analyst at NH Investment and Securities. "It's definitely good news for the company and may lead to a further boost in sales."
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