'Automobile Day' Heo Jae-geon, Chairman of Daewon Industry, Awarded Silver Tower Industrial Medal

Contribution to Securing Global Competitiveness Including Development of the World's First Relax Seat

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] At the ceremony commemorating the 18th Automobile Day held on the 12th, hosted by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association and the Korea Automobile Industry Cooperative, Huh Jae-geon, Chairman of Daewon Industry, was awarded the Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit.

Chairman Huh was recognized for his contributions to securing global technological competitiveness in the seat sector of passenger cars and recreational vehicles (RVs), having developed the world's first high-sensitivity premium relax seat that reduces user fatigue and enhances comfort, and for developing and mass-producing Korea's first Stand Up seat, which received favorable customer reviews. Despite the worst business conditions caused by COVID-19, he maintained a labor dispute-free workplace for 26 years and overcame crises through education, training, and technological development without any workforce restructuring.

The Bronze Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit was awarded to Kim Jin-hong, Executive Director of GM Technical Center Korea. Executive Director Kim led the research and development of Korea GM's compact sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and actively connected with Korean partner companies, contributing to the company's profits and the co-growth of Korean small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Industrial Merit Award was presented to Kim Yong-chil, CEO of Jin Hap, for developing and commercializing new technologies such as brake release prevention technology for pickup trucks, contributing to pioneering overseas markets, and to Hong Young-jin, Director of Renault Samsung Motors, for leading the timely supply of over 20,000 units of the new XM3 model, securing about 50% of the total production volume for export in 2021.

In his commemorative speech, Chung Man-ki, Chairman of the Automobile Federation, stated, "At the beginning of last year, our automobile industry was in great crisis due to COVID-19, but domestic demand increased by 6%, the only increase worldwide, thanks to effective government quarantine measures and domestic demand stimulation policies." He evaluated, "Complete vehicle manufacturers, the government, and local governments contributed hundreds of billions of won to establish a special win-win guarantee program, which helped maintain the industrial ecosystem intact." However, he added, "Recently, we are facing other difficulties, so the government's role is important," and suggested, "Efforts for international cooperation to secure vehicle semiconductors, measures to resolve liquidity difficulties, and institutional improvements to enhance production flexibility such as expanding flexible working hours should be actively considered."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.