Hyundai Motor Group said Sunday that Woo Jung-yeop, a former director-general for strategy at South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is joining its Global Policy Office as a senior vice president.

This appointment, effective Monday, is part of Hyundai's efforts to strengthen its response to global economic challenges, particularly in light of the US Inflation Reduction Act and the forthcoming US presidential election.

The Global Policy Office at Hyundai, led by executive vice president Kim Il-bum, a former protocol secretary to President Yoon Suk Yeol, was founded in August last year. Its primary goal is to manage the implications of the global supply chain effectively.

Woo, who also held a role as an advisor on international diplomacy and national security during President Yoon's campaign, declined to comment on his specific duties.

Before joining Hyundai, Woo served as a research fellow and head of the Washington office of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, and later as a senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute, a research center affiliated with the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a similar move to strengthen its international affairs expertise, Hyundai appointed Sung Kim, a former US ambassador to Korea, as an international affairs advisor in December last year. Sung Kim holds the distinction of being the first Asian American to serve as a US ambassador in three different countries.