By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Salwa Elzeny from Egypt
Photos = Salwa Elzeny

Every Korean city has a story and a long history and those who live on South Korean land have a wonderful opportunity to discover new treasures every day. As a fan of Korean drama, I always had a little information about famous Korean cities and islands. However, I only knew the Korean capital city Seoul, the coastal city of Busan and Jeju Island. So on my first and second visit to Korea, I went to see these places for myself, but I did not have any knowledge about other cities. A lack of time to discover many places is one of the drawbacks of traveling for tourism. But since I came back to Korea for a longer period this time, I began to know more about the history of Korea, Korean civilization and Korean cities. Ulsan city is one of those cities that are not famous for drama followers but is internationally renowned, on the other hand, in the field of industry.

Ulsan city, where there are many Korean industries, including shipbuilding, is the industrial powerhouse of South Korea. Korea is one of the top countries in the world in shipbuilding, oil refineries and petrochemical industries. In addition, it is the home of one of the largest car manufacturers in the world, making Ulsan the leading car manufacturing city in Korea.

Ulsan is the main industrial exporting city in South Korea. This city reminds me of industrial cities in Egypt such as 6th of October and 10th of Ramadan cities, which have many factories owned by international and Egyptian companies. Among these international companies are famous Korean companies and every Egyptian house uses their products, whether in the field of cars or electronics.

The difference between Ulsan city and those Egyptian cities is that Ulsan is an industrial city with a special port for exporting directly, while the Egyptian cities are far from the Egyptian ports such as Port Said or Alexandria Port. During my visit to Ulsan city, my sister and I were taken to visit Hyundai's largest auto manufacturing site. Hyundai in Korean means modernity and present, so Hyundai's vision is "together for a better future."

Many Korean factories and companies have been established In Egypt, such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai and others. I wanted to visit one of these companies on a field trip when I was student, but I did not have that opportunity during my studies in Egypt. I didn’t imagine that one day my dream would come true, and I would be able to visit one of the most important Korean companies in the world, Hyundai.

I visited the Ulsan plant, which was built in 1968 and is the first and largest Hyundai factory. It is not an ordinary factory; it is like a small city that contains secrets, scientific research and great techniques that will change the direction of the automobile industry in the world. Hyundai's team took us on a magical tour inside the factory but they did not allow us to take pictures; we could only do so in the cultural center building.



The Ulsan plant is divided into five factories, and each one has its own function. The first factory, established in 1968, is the oldest; producing the first Korean car, the Pony, it became the cradle of the automobile industry in Korea. In the first factory, car models like KONA and ACCENT are manufactured. The second factory was established in 1986 and produced the first independent engine (Alpha) and now is manufacturing cars like SANTA FE and TUCSON. At the third factory, we were able to see the whole manufacturing process including assemby, installation and test driving. Models such as ELANTRA, and i30 are made here. The fourth factory was established in 1999 and produces models like MAXCRUZ. Last but not least, the fifth plant makes car models such as G9O and G8O.

At the cultural center, you can learn more about the history of Hyundai and also find the new models available on the market. On the Hyundai grounds, there is also an engine manufacturing factory, a special road for car testing and the Ulsan Port for exports. I was surprised as I was able to see all the cars that will be exported to my country and also to Middle East countries, Africa and all over the world. The Ulsan factory manufactures more than 6,000 cars per day for the local market and export at the same time. It also manufactures right-hand drive cars for export to countries such as England, Australia, India and other other places.

Hyundai's factory team also performs many driving tests, including steering wheel test, brake test, back and front wheel tests, before confirming the quality of cars. Then there is the final stage of testing, which involves a special road to be 100% sure of the cars' quality. Eventually, those cars will be introduced to the local market or exported globally.

Hyundai is the fifth largest company in cumulative sales in the world and it is one of the top 10 in engines in the world. Hyundai factories are also located in Russia, the USA, Brazil, China, India, the Czech Republic and Turkey. There are three factories in Korea in Ulsan, Ansan and Jeonju.

Hyundai seeks to produce environmentally friendly cars, including those that use hydrogen and oxygen as a fuel source. These vehicles can travel up to 1,000 km per charge. In addition, the company is developing hybrid vehicles that are more fuel efficient and more environmentally friendly.

Hyundai Motor Company came to the rescue of Kia Motors, by acquiring 51% of the company's stocks, so they are sisters, not same company, but they have a common research system but different car designs and sales.

Now that you know more about the advantages of Hyundai, will Hyundai cars be your first choice?

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.