Tesla, Polestar Could Crack Tough South Korean Auto Market

The 9th International Electric Vehicle Expo on the resort island of Jeju, at the vanguard of South Korea’s ambitions to go green, was held earlier this month and delivered several interesting takeaways.

The expo was the first major public event in Jeju since the pandemic, but was still smaller than expected, with just 65 companies participating. Some, like Hyundai, were conspicuous by their absence — odd given that Hyundai and subsidiary Kia account for just over two of every three cars sold in Korea.