“It may look rough on the outside, but it has a soft, reversed charm on the inside,” says Kim Jin-seong, the CEO of Boseong Motors, an official Peugeot dealer.
On the rainy 11th, I interviewed CEO Kim at Boseong Motors in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. He received the Silver Tower Industrial Medal on the 37th Transportation Day last November for his contributions to the automotive repair industry. In addition to being the CEO of Boseong Motors, he also serves as the chairman of the northern Gyeonggi Province automotive repair association and is active as a dispute commissioner in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
He embarked on his automotive repair career at the age of 25, precisely 30 years ago. He vividly remembers that time. “I was originally doing something else, but I started this job at my father’s suggestion, who was running a repair shop. At that time, my father didn’t teach me anything about cars, so I couldn’t go home for three years and studied cars every night by myself. It was so hard that I secretly cried a lot.”
The family’s passion for cars does not end with Kim. His son is currently working as an advisor at the Boseong Motors Ilsan Service Center. Three generations, from father to son, are engaged in the automotive industry.
Boseong Motors boasts the largest number of work bays among the nationwide Peugeot network with 10 work bays. CEO Kim stated, “Compared to other service networks, we have 3 to 5 more work bays, making us the number one in the nation for Peugeot recall processing rates.” Additionally, there is one dedicated work bay for non-reserved customers that is always in operation, allowing them to come in for vehicle inspections without a prior appointment.
Boseong Motors provides vehicle replacement services for customers whose cars are damaged in accidents or are out of service for an extended period. CEO Kim noted, “Our vehicle rental service is a unique offering that is not available from competitors or luxury brand dealers,” explaining, “We implement this vehicle replacement service solely for our customers at Boseong Motors.”
As word of mouth spreads, the Boseong Motors service center attracts customers from all over the country. Kim mentioned, “Customers come not just from Yeongdeungpo in Seoul, but also from the southwestern Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon-do for vehicle inspections.”
CEO Kim is dedicated to improving customer satisfaction for service clients. He explained, “While purchasing a vehicle is a voluntary act, service is often something that makes customers spend money against their wishes.” In light of this, his primary goal is to improve customers’ moods, especially when they are upset during service checks, and his secondary goal is to raise the consumer satisfaction index.
In addition, he has established industry-academic cooperation with local universities to consistently recruit talented repair professionals, lowering the average age of mechanics at the service center to the early 30s.
Kim also has a tattoo on his body that reads, “Follow the path you have chosen.” This serves as a reminder not to forget the original passion he had when he started working in automotive repair 30 years ago. The 25-year-old Kim Jin-seong, who first embarked on a career in automotive repair, has become the CEO of Boseong Motors, a recipient of the Silver Tower Industrial Medal.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr