Kia Names New CEO for U.S. Operations

Kia Motors Corp. has chosen SeungKyu Yoon, president and CEO of its Canadian operations, to take the same positions in the U.S., effective today.

Yoon worked in Kia’s U.S. group between 2006 and 2012 before moving to head the company’s Canadian business.

He succeeds Jang Won Sohn, who headed Kia’s European operations before becoming CEO in the U.S. in 2015.

During his tenure here, Kia posted sales records in 2015 and 2016 and topped the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study ratings for two consecutive years. But last year Kia sales in the U.S. dropped 9% in a market that shrank only 2%.