| If you live in North America, you likely are | | | | influence stretched far beyond the Korean |
| now very familiar with the Hyundai line of | | | | peninsula as the company won contracts to |
| vehicles. Back in 1986, the first Hyundai was | | | | build an expressway in Thailand and a major |
| introduced to the market - an Excel - and the | | | | port in Saudi Arabia. Clearly, Hyundai |
| company's line up has changed dramatically | | | | dominated the Korean market and quickly |
| since that time. Hyundai produces much more | | | | became a major player on the international |
| than cars; in fact, by the end of the last | | | | scene. |
| century Hyundai became one of the largest | | | | |
| companies in the world. Let's take a look at | | | | By the 1970s Hyundai began to build vessels |
| this Korean based multinational corporation | | | | as well as shipyards and by 1986 Hyundai |
| and the company behind Hyundai vehicles. | | | | produced its first vehicle made entirely from |
| | | | Korean components. From the 1980s forward |
| It was back in 1946, just one year removed | | | | Hyundai added additional specialties |
| from Imperial Japan's occupation of the | | | | including the building of semiconductors and |
| Korean peninsula, that a new company was | | | | magnetic levitation trains. |
| birthed in what is now known as South Korea. | | | | |
| Hyundai Motor Industrial Company was founded | | | | All hasn't been glossy for the company, |
| by Chung Ju-yung, a child of northern Korean | | | | however. Decades of labor problems |
| peasant farmers, and in 1947 Ju-yung launched | | | | culminating in new employee safety standards |
| a second company, Hyundai Civil Industries. | | | | put in place from the 1990s on, tempered the |
| Self educated, Ju-yung transformed the entire | | | | Hyundai mystique. Indeed, up to that time the |
| Korean economy with the tight control he | | | | company was cited for having the worst safety |
| exerted over his Hyundai companies. | | | | standards of any corporation in the |
| | | | industrialized world. |
| The first Hyundai business was tasked with | | | | |
| building automobiles while the second Hyundai | | | | Cars were another source of problems for what |
| company concentrated on construction. Indeed, | | | | became known as the Hyundai Group. Although |
| much of modern South Korea's infrastructure | | | | now manufacturing their own vehicles, the |
| was built by Hyundai in the period after the | | | | quality of Hyundai vehicles for the first |
| cessation of the Korean War in 1953 and on | | | | decade was considered by automobile experts |
| through the 1970s. Dams, an expressway, a | | | | to be sub-par. Today, Hyundai vehicles and |
| shipbuilding yard, and a nuclear power plant | | | | Hyundai parts are, for the most part, |
| were all built by Hyundai Civil Industries, | | | | slightly above average in quality compared to |
| while Hyundai Motors produced cars made | | | | the industry as a whole. |
| primarily from Japanese components. Hyundai's | | | | |