Mercedes Korea executive promoted as US customer service chief

Kim Jee-seop, former vice president of the customer service department at Mercedes-Benz Korea, has been promoted to oversee the German automaker’s customer service division at its US operation.

The promotion marks the first time an executive of the Korean nationality at Mercedes-Benz has climbed the German carmaker’s corporate ladder to be in charge of a key division at a major global base.

In his new role, Kim will oversee the vehicle maintenance and customer service division of the US corporation.

He joined Mercedes-Benz Korea in 2002 through the Mercedes-Benz Global Asia Management Associate Program. He worked at the Daimler Australia-Pacific regional headquarters in 2003 and at the group headquarters in Germany in 2004.

He was named vice president in charge of customer services at Mercedes-Benz Korea in 2015.

As the head of the division, he introduced a customer assurance program in March 2020 amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the program, customers were provided services such as a three-month extension of expiring Integrated Service Packages (ISPs), expanded pickup and delivery services and vehicle disinfection services.

The following year, Mercedes-Benz Korea ranked first in the imported car after-sales service category by a Korean customer satisfaction survey.

In Korea, Mercedes-Benz recently emerged as one of the most coveted brands among imported vehicles, with its luxury models appealing even to young drivers in their 20s and 30s.

Kim, who studied mechanical engineering at Yonsei University, worked at various departments at Mercedes-Benz Korea, including sales marketing, product strategy planning and parts sales, before becoming a customer service executive.

“His promotion shows the increasing importance and role of Korea, which has established itself as the fourth-largest global market for the Mercedes-Benz Group,” said a Mercedes-Benz Korea official.

Write to Nan-Sae Bin at binthere@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.