Hyundai Motor named Jose Munoz, current U.S. chief and global chief operating officer, as co-chief executive officer on Friday, marking a rare appointment of a foreign national to a CEO post at a major South Korean conglomerate.

FILE PHOTO: Jose Munoz, Global President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Hyundai Motor Company and the president and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America looks on during the press day preview of the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. REUTERS/David Swanson/File Photo

Along with Munoz, Sung Kim, a former U.S. State Department official who joined Hyundai as an adviser in January, was appointed as a president overseeing global external affairs, research of domestic and international policy trends, and communications and public relations initiatives.