On Sunday Jan 24, The President during his state visit to India, made a short visit to Chennai (formerly known as Madras), on the southeast coast of India, where Hyundai Motor factories are located. He met with executives and staff of Hyundai Motors and praised them for their work and diplomatic services, as the company is acting as an advance guard for spreading Korean technology and the national brand.

After he looked around the plants, The President held a meeting with representatives of Korean companies in Chennai to discuss the current state of things and the difficulties that they face. They reported that their activities help improve the image of Korea and Korean products abroad but further expansion of bilateral cooperation in IT field is required. 

The first Hyundai factory in Chennai started production in September 1998 and the second was opened in 2008, reaching an annual production capacity of 600,000. Currently, Hyundai Motor is India''s second biggest car maker and has become the largest passenger car exporter in India.

About 40 Korean subcontractors of Hyundai are present in Chennai with another 150 manufacturing, transporting and construction companies.