Hankook Tire Grabs Industry Attention

WAYNE, N.J. APRIL 17, 2007 - Hankook Tire's (www.hankooktire.com Dynapro MT RT03 off-road tire and Ventus S1 evo performance tire have been drawing impressive reviews in leading U.S. and German automotive publications. The MT RT03 was predicted to be "long lasting" by 4-Wheel & Off-Road while the S-1 evo "performed remarkably" for Modified Mustangs and was ranked first out of 10 other high performance tires in a test by German magazine, Autobild Sports Cars.

Mr. Hwi Joong Kim, chief technical officer of Hankook Tire, was recently appointed to the company's Board of Directors in a move that elevated the strategic importance of technology and production.

"Technology is at the heart of everything we do and we will continue to invest approximately five percent of revenues in improving the quality of our products." Commenting on the results, Kim said "The results underline the success and importance of this commitment as we continue to grow and prove ourselves as a leading global tire manufacturer."

In the U.S., off-road enthusiast magazine 4-Wheel & Off-Road conducted a "Massive Mud Tire Test" pitting six of the top off-road tires against some of the worst mud, sand and rocks to be found. Hankook's MT RT03 was praised for the exceptional mud dumping ability of its specially designed tread. The magazine made several favorable predictions, among them that the MT RT03 will "work well as all around tires for the majority of consumers," will be "quite a seller for Hankook," and expected it to be a "long-lasting, high mileage tire that can take quite a load without folding under the pressure."

Modified Mustangs, an enthusiast publication specializing in performance Ford Mustangs, conducted a track test for performance tires featuring the Hankook Ventus S1 evo. Professional driver and instructor Allan Crockett was called upon to push these tires to their limit. Crockett was surprised at the "lack of 'cupping' which can be quite severe in other makes of high performance street tires." This, coupled with the "consistency of the tires" and the ability of the tread to hold up under several 'hot' laps without any signs of wear or stress lead Modified to conclude that the tire "performed remarkably well on the track."

In the latest series of tire tests published in Germany, Autobild SportCar, the specialized tuning magazine, ranked Hankook Tire's ultra high performance Ventus S1 evo first out of ten other high performance tires. The company also received 'recommendable' grades from ADAC and Stiftung Warentest for its Ventus Prime and Optimo K715 tires, with Stiftung Warentest recognizing the Optimo K715 as the most environmentally friendly in its class. ZDF TV, the second largest national TV network in Germany also picked out the Ventus Prime and the Optimo K715 as best-buys amongst recommended and competing tires. Gute Fahrt rounded off the encouraging results in its all-weather tire test which assessed the Centum H 720 as third best and awarded it the overall mark of 'good'.

About Hankook Tire America Corp.

Headquartered in Wayne, N.J., Hankook Tire America Corp. is a technology-focused, market-driven company that markets and distributes a complete line of high performance and ultra-high performance passenger tires, light truck, SUV tires, as well as medium truck and bus tires to more than 400 independent dealers through 3000+ retail sales locations in the United States and Canada.

About Hankook Tire Co., Ltd

Hankook Tire (CEO: Seung Hwa Suh) is the seventh largest and one of the fastest growing tire manufacturers in the world. It produces innovative, superior quality, and high performance radial tires for passenger cars, light trucks (SUVs, RVs, and etc.), trucks, buses and special motor sports vehicles. It invests approximately five per cent of revenue in research and development and develops cutting-edge technologies through its five global R&D Centers meeting regional customer demands and enhancing customer satisfaction. Selling in 170 countries around the world, the company has more than 12,000 employees around the world. Approximately 70 percent of revenue comes from growing overseas sales.