[New Year's Address] Hyundai Rotem President Lee Yongbae: "2026 Will Be the 'Year of Leap from LAND to SPACE'"

Lee Yongbae, President and CEO of Hyundai Rotem, has declared 2026 as the "Year of Leap," marking the company's expansion beyond ground weapon systems into the space industry. He expressed his ambition to lead the "K-Space" era by securing core technologies such as guided weapons and next-generation space launch vehicles. Lee also outlined a strategy to transform Hyundai Rotem into a global leader by expanding defense exports, making a full-scale entry into the North American railway market, and commercializing future businesses based on hydrogen and artificial intelligence (AI).

Profile photo of Lee Yongbae, President and CEO of Hyundai Rotem. Hyundai Rotem

In his New Year's address on January 5, Lee told employees, "Based on our achievements in securing key technologies in the aerospace sector, which has been led by competitors, we must make 2026 the 'Year of Leap from LAND to SPACE.' We need to secure guided weapon system technologies and next-generation space launch vehicle technologies that will drive the K-Space era, thereby expanding our business coverage."

Lee stated, "For 2026, our management policy is to 'expand overseas business, secure leadership in new businesses, and strengthen the foundation for sustainable growth to become a global leader.' We must create a virtuous cycle of sustainable growth by upgrading new business technologies with the resources obtained from export achievements." He highlighted three key focus areas: ▲expanding overseas markets ▲commercializing future technologies ▲improving management structure.

Regarding overseas market expansion, Lee emphasized, "We must further strengthen our delivery capabilities by increasing production capacity," and added, "We need to pursue differentiated strategies through customized localization based on analysis of each country's policies and market environment." He also said, "To resolve export restrictions, we must expand the localization of key components and solidify the foundation for export growth through close, mutually beneficial cooperation among all stakeholders, from the government to our partners."

On the railway business, Lee stressed, "To make a full-scale entry into the United States, we must achieve tangible results in the North American market through thorough preparation across all aspects of the business, including obtaining pre-qualification (PQ) from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority."

Regarding the commercialization of future technologies, Lee said, "In the hydrogen sector, we must improve profitability by expanding our hydrogen train lineup and achieving early commercialization to secure a leading position in the eco-friendly mobility market. We should also strengthen our competitiveness in hydrogen infrastructure by acquiring large-capacity, high-speed charging technology." He added, "Furthermore, we must secure technological leadership by developing defense platforms based on hydrogen fuel cells."

In addition, Lee stated, "In the fields of unmanned systems and AI, we need to expand the commercialization of mass-produced products such as multipurpose unmanned vehicles and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for ports. We should also apply core technologies in autonomous driving and physical AI across all our product business models, while enabling customers to experience various use cases in maintenance and control sectors, thereby taking the lead in future markets."

Finally, Lee urged, "To accelerate portfolio restructuring, we must continuously expand high value-added business areas centered on high-speed vehicles, railway operations, and infrastructure, while strengthening on-site safety management."