Kia's new co-CEO Song Min-su (Hyundai Motor Group) South Korean carmaker Kia has appointed Song Min-su, its domestic production head, as co-CEO, shifting to a dual-leadership structure with President and CEO Song Ho-sung.The Hyundai Motor Group affiliate said Wednesday that its board approved Song Min-su as the new CEO. The appointment fills the vacancy left by Choi Jun-young, who had served alongside Song Ho-sung in Kia’s top leadership before Hyundai Motor Group named him in May to head its newly elevated policy development office overseeing labor policy and external affairs.Song Min-su, born in 1966, currently serves as Kia’s head of domestic production and chief safety officer. Before that, Song led Kia’s AutoLand Hwaseong plant and held senior roles in labor support, service support and plant administration, building much of his career in production safety, labor management and field operations.Kia’s board described Song as a manufacturing and production expert with extensive experience and deep understanding of plant operations. The board said his appointment would help the company improve production efficiency, strengthen quality competitiveness and foster advanced labor-management relations.His elevation comes as Kia expands its future mobility businesses, including electric vehicles and purpose-built vehicles, while seeking to modernize domestic production bases.Song is expected to bring his extensive field-level experience into key decisions on production strategy, helping management better reflect conditions at manufacturing sites and improve productivity and safety. He is also likely to play a central role in maintaining stable labor relations.Under the dual-leadership structure, Kia is expected to accelerate growth as it heads toward another potential record year.Kia sold 1.63 million vehicles globally in the first half of the year, up 2.7 percent from a year earlier, setting a new first-half sales record just one year after its previous high.If the current sales momentum continues into the second half, Kia could extend its streak of record annual sales to a fourth consecutive year.Song Ho-sung, who has led Kia since 2020, expressed confidence in Kia’s second-half performance, citing stronger demand for electric vehicles, hybrids and new models.“The strong sales momentum we have seen this year will continue in the second half,” Song told reporters at the 2026 Busan Mobility Show in June. “With momentum from electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and new models, we will be able to expand our market share more strongly this year.”