GM CEO Mulls Visit to Korea
31 October, 2018
General Motors' CEO is expected to visit Korea amid rumors of the automaker's possible pullout from Korea. The rumors started after it decided to establish a research and development company, seen as a possible signal of a retreat from the country.
GM Korea and its union said Monday that CEO Mary Barra sent a letter to the union informing it of her willingness to visit Korea "at some point soon."
Workers at GM Korea earlier sent Barra a letter expressing their concern about the plan to set up a separate R&D company, and demanded a meeting with her. But a GM Korea staffer said, "We have yet to discuss specific plans or an itinerary for [Barra's] visit."
State-run Korea Development Bank, GM Korea's second-largest shareholder, has threatened legal action over the automaker's plan to establish the company.
The last time a GM chief visited Korea was in 2002, when Jack Smith came here as the U.S. automaker was in the process of acquiring bankrupt Daewoo Motor.