Kia Sorento Arrives in Korea Mid-Point Of Around the World Drive

- Award winning Kia Sorento halfway through first ever solo round the world
road trip via Siberia 

- 24,000 km global adventure has already taken record breaking Swedish
driver/journalist Christer Gerlach from Sweden to

Germany,Russia,Ukraine, Mongolia and now, Korea

(SEOUL) October 10, 2005 -- Kia Motors Corporation announced today that
Christer Gerlach, the pioneering Swedish driver and adventurer, arrived in
Korea -- the halfway point of his epic journey in which he plans to drive
around the world solo in a completely standard Kia Sorento SUV.

In the most recent stage of the 24,000-kilometer journey, Mr. Gerlach --
driving a completely standard 3.5-litre, V6-engined Kia Sorento -- crossed
the largely unmapped wastelands of Siberia en route to the port of
Vladivostok, Russia. The next leg of his route will take him on the fabled
Route 66 from California to New York.

Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Executive Vice-President and COO of Kia Motors
Corporation, who handed over the keys to the new Sorento to Mr. Gerlach in
August at the start of his momentous expedition, welcomed the intrepid
driver to Korea and hailed his arrival as a significant milestone for Kia
Motors. 

¡°We are extremely proud of Mr. Gerlach having made it to the halfway mark
in his journey. His adventure brings to life our brand slogan ¡®The Power
to Surprise¡¯ and has allowed us to demonstrate to the world the quality
and reliability of the Kia product line up,¡± said Mr. Kim.

¡°The fact that Mr. Gerlach has arrived here in Korea, the home of Kia and
the Sorento, after traveling through much of Europe and Asia, underlines
how Kia has effectively become a global brand in recent years. We wish Mr.
Gerlach the very best of fortunes for the remainder of his journey,¡± he
added.

Speaking on his arrival at Seokcho port in Korea on October 6, Mr. Gerlach
paid tribute to Kia and, in particular, to the Sorento, for its durability
on the trip to date. ¡°Kia deserves full credit for creating this excellent
vehicle. I made it through the whole of Asia with just two punctures, one
oil change, one change of light bulb and a headlight shaken loose. Well
done, Sorento!"

The trip through Asia presented a range of challenges for both car and
driver. On the way to Ulan Bator, Mongolia, Mr. Gerlach had to travel
through rough, desolate terrain, mostly off-road, while driving from Russia
to western Mongolia.

¡°On one day, it was possible to travel just 160 kilometers, over rough
tracks, gravel, large rocks and across fords in small rivers, through
endless dust and eventually up into snow. During this period, night
temperatures dropped to below zero and I had to sleep in the car for four
nights,¡± said Mr. Gerlach.

During his stay in Korea, while the Sorento is being transported to the
USA, Mr. Gerlach is meeting a range of Kia executives, staff, and
customers. He will also undertake tours of the company¡¯s manufacturing and
R&D facilities in order to experience first-hand the production and design
processes that created the Sorento. Already, he has toured the DMZ and met
with the Swedish General over the weekend.

After crossing the USA on the second half of his journey, he will then fly
to the UK and drive through seven other European countries on his way back
to Sweden.