Kia Motors Corp. names new CEO

JAKARTA: Kia Motors Corporation, South Korea's second-largest automaker, announced on Friday that it has appointed Kim Ik-hwan, a vice president of the company, to the position of president.

Before this appointment, Kim was vice president in charge of domestic sales at Kia Motors Corporation. He was previously in charge of domestic corporate communications.

Kim, 54, will replace outgoing president and CEO Yoon Kook- jin, who has made a decision to step down, after two years in his post, for health reasons, according to a media statement received by The Jakarta Post.

Kia Motors has posted a record year of exports in 2004, shipping 760,161 vehicles around the world, which represents a 43 percent increase over the previous year. --JP

;AFP