ULSAN, 13 November 2014 – Five ambassadors and six diplomats representing seven ASEAN member states visited the world's largest single vehicle manufacturing plant located in Ulsan, southeastern Korea, on the invitation of the Hyundai Motor Group, on Thursday, 13 November 2014.

Serving as current head of the ASEAN Committee in Seoul’s rotating chair, Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez led the ambassadors of Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in joining Ickkyun Oh, Director of Hyundai Motor Group’s Overseas Policy Coordination Team on a daylong familiarization trip from Seoul by KTX express train. “Your invitation today promises to give the diplomatic missions of the ASEAN Member States a glimpse of not just the current impressive capacity of your company, but also its overwhelming potential for our growing markets back home,” Ambassador Hernandez told Director Oh in a toast during lunch at the Gyeongbokgung traditional Korean restaurant. In the afternoon, Hyundai Motors Ulsan Plant Senior Vice President Jung Hoon Moon welcomed the delegation to the plant’s showroom and visitors’ center, where he made a presentation about the Ulsan Plant, Hyundai Motor’s main production facility covering 5 million square meters. The group, which also included officers charged with ASEAN affairs in the five embassies, plus Myanmar and Thailand, then toured Factory No. 5, which produces Hyundai’s high-end brand Equus and the newly launched luxury brand Genesis. The five independent factories employ over 34,000 personnel to produce an average of 5,600 vehicles a day. Following the plant tour, the group was taken to Hyundai Motors’ own port where up to three 50,000-ton vessels can anchor simultaneously and operates a fire station, hospital, and patrol cars all within the grounds. The plant tour, which ended by mid-afternoon, offered a great opportunity for the ASEAN diplomats to experience the manufacturing process of Hyundai Motors, which is the fourth largest car manufacturer in the world.