Kia Motors’ staff training facility in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. (image: Kia Motors)
SEOUL, April 14 (Korea Bizwire) — Kia Motors Corp., South Korea’s second-biggest carmaker, announced Monday that it will offer its staff training facility in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province for treating coronavirus patients with mild symptoms.
The Osan Education Center, established in 1994, comprises two buildings, an education center and a dormitory building, on 17,000 square meters of land. The facility is equipped with a total of 118 rooms for accommodation.
The facility has been used as a training center for all domestic and foreign Kia Motors staff in the automobile service sector.
After Kia Motors decided to shut down all training programs for staff following the coronavirus outbreak, the company chose to turn the facility into a treatment center for coronavirus patients.
“The center will be used to accommodate coronavirus patients who are under self-quarantine due to a lack of hospital beds,” Kia Motors said.
The news comes after its sister company Hyundai Motor Co. opened up its Gyeongju Human Resource Development Center and Global Coexistence and Cooperation Center to accommodate mildly infected coronavirus patients in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province last month.
These facilities are brand new buildings that were originally scheduled to open in May.
“We plan to use them as medical centers for mild patients until the coronavirus situation is over,” Hyundai Motor said.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
