China surpassed Germany to claim the largest share of South Korea's imported-car market in the first half of the year.
According to an analysis of new vehicle registrations released by the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association (KAMA) on Aug. 4, Chinese-built vehicles accounted for 41.2% of all imported cars registered in South Korea during the first half, totaling 79,444 units—an increase of 127.8% from a year earlier.
That marked a 17.7-percentage-point jump from 23.5% in the first half of last year. In other words, more than four out of every 10 imported vehicles registered in South Korea were built in China.
By contrast, new registrations of German-built imported cars fell 3.0% year on year to 57,954 units. Their market share declined from 40.3% to 30.1%.
KAMA's tally of Chinese-built vehicles includes models from BYD and Zeekr, as well as Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y electric vehicles manufactured in China.
“As China has emerged as the world's largest producer of electric vehicles, its presence in South Korea's imported-car market has continued to grow,” said Kwon Eun-kyung, head of KAMA's Trade, Industry and Research Division. “Tesla also maintained a strong supply push with Model 3 and Model Y units produced at its Shanghai Gigafactory.”
KAMA said the rapid inflow of Chinese-made EVs has clear benefits, including lower prices and broader consumer choice. However, it warned that the trend could weaken South Korea's domestic manufacturing base and intensify competitive pressure across supply chains, underscoring the need to strengthen the price competitiveness of locally produced vehicles and introduce measures to protect the domestic automotive ecosystem.
