Kia Motors Sohari Plant, Total 16 Confirmed Cases... Factory Closed Until Weekend

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] Two additional employees at Kia Motors' Sohari plant have tested positive for COVID-19 amid the factory's closure through the weekend due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. This brings the total number of confirmed cases related to the Sohari plant to 16.

According to health authorities on the 19th, Siheung City in Gyeonggi Province announced that two Kia Motors Sohari plant employees residing in Janghyeon-dong and Sanhyeon-dong (Siheung cases 124 and 125) tested positive for COVID-19. As of the morning of the same day, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases related to the Kia Motors Sohari plant reached 16 (11 employees, 4 family members of employees, and 1 acquaintance of an employee).

Since an employee working in the 2nd plant tested positive on the 16th (Yongin case 349), confirmed cases have continued to emerge. The employee developed COVID-19 symptoms after attending a colleague’s funeral on the 12th, and it is known that many factory employees attended the funeral, raising concerns about further infections.

With consecutive confirmed cases emerging at the Sohari plant, production disruptions have become inevitable. Kia Motors halted operations at the Sohari 2nd plant on the 16th and subsequently suspended operations at both the 1st and 2nd plants until the 18th.

Kia Motors plans to keep the factory closed through the weekend, monitor the trend of confirmed cases during this period, and decide next week whether to resume factory operations.

The Kia Motors Sohari plant, located in Gwangmyeong City, Gyeonggi Province, employs about 6,000 workers and produces 320,000 vehicles annually. The 1st plant manufactures the Stinger, K9, and Carnival models, while the 2nd plant produces the Pride and Stonic models.

A confirmed case of COVID-19 occurred at Kia Motors' Gwangmyeong Sohari Plant, leading to a temporary suspension of factory operations. The photo shows the main gate of the Sohari Plant. / Gwangmyeong - Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@