[Homo Muvens] The Secret Behind a Country Boy Who Loved Cars Rising to the Top Ranks of Korea's Best Master Craftsmen

Son Seonik Hyundai Motor High-Tech Lab High-Tech Master
Nationally Recognized Top Maintenance Master
"Chairman Chung Euisun's Encouragement Awakened My Dormant Passion"

Homo Movens means a moving (movens) human. It tells the story of those who handle vehicles.

Son Seon-ik, Hyundai Motor High-Tech Master, is servicing the electric vehicle Ioniq 5 at the Southern High-Tech Center.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Although his family was not well-off during his childhood and the only means of transportation he had experienced was a wooden cart, he liked cars. Even though cars were rare on rural roads, he could recognize whether a passing car was a Brisa or a Pony from a distance. His interest in cars turned into a career. As he passed the midpoint of his life, he earned the title of 'the best in the country.'

This is the story of Son Seon-ik, a master technician at Hyundai Motor's High-Tech Lab who was named a master in the automotive maintenance field last year. Among the four master technicians recognized by the state in the maintenance division at Hyundai Motor, the largest car company in Korea (one retired, one is the head of Blue Hands), Son is one of them. Son said, "Just as people visit doctors when they are sick, car maintenance is about addressing problems or inconveniences. I feel that not only the technical aspects but also how we respond to customers on the front lines is most important."

Until just a few years ago, he directly interacted with customers on-site and inspected cars himself. Although he is a top expert in the maintenance field, even Son finds it challenging to adapt to the current rapid changes in the automotive industry. The internal combustion engine era, which lasted over 100 years, is shifting to electric motors faster than expected, and various electronic devices integrated with IT are becoming increasingly complex.

He emphasized, "The immediate change we face is to respond to the rapidly increasing demand for electric vehicle maintenance while enhancing maintenance capabilities by linking data and digital technologies. Electric vehicles differ significantly from traditional internal combustion engines in components and operating systems, so it is important to build dedicated infrastructure and acquire the appropriate technical skills."

Seon-Ik Son, Hyundai Motor High-Tech Lab High-Tech Master

Although Hyundai Motor has grown into a global company encompassing all businesses from new car development to sales and maintenance, its roots trace back to maintenance. The company Ado Service, founded by the late Chung Ju-yung, honorary chairman of Hyundai, in the Ahyeon-dong area of Seoul in the 1940s, was a vehicle maintenance shop serving the U.S. military. After the war, he established Hyundai Construction and later reopened Hyundai Motor Industry within the company to maintain trucks and heavy equipment. This shows how deep the history of maintenance is at Hyundai Motor.

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun often visits maintenance and service sites to encourage employees, reflecting this background. Son said, "Chairman Chung once visited the Dongbu Service Center and had dinner with employees, saying, 'You who provide quality improvement and differentiated services are in an important position as the contact point with our Hyundai customers,' and 'The group always remembers your hard work and sacrifices.' At a time when I was feeling doubtful about continuing to challenge myself as a master technician, his encouragement revived my passion and gave me the will to try again."

Son, who used to inspect cars and train maintenance personnel on the front lines, joined a newly established organization called the High-Tech Lab this year as the maintenance organization was reorganized at the company-wide level. Knowing well what the field needs, he also serves as a bridge communicating directly with vehicle development research teams and vehicle quality departments. He is also considering creating new manuals if none exist and developing equipment that would be useful in the future.

Son stated, "Operating the research institute that designs cars and the factory that produces them together creates a very favorable environment for technical approaches and problem-solving related to vehicles. Another advantage is that when there is a need to improve parts quality during maintenance, we can immediately provide feedback and make improvements."

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