What Hankook & Company makes

Hankook & Company Group is organized around three core businesses. The largest by revenue is tires, operated through the listed subsidiary Hankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd. The tire portfolio spans passenger car and light truck, SUV, van, and truck-bus formats, served under four brands: Hankook (the premium flagship), Laufenn (mid-range), Optimo, and Kingstar. Within the Hankook brand, a full set of sub-brands address vehicle category and season: iON for electric vehicles, Ventus for high performance, Dynapro for SUVs and pickups, Kinergy for touring comfort, Weatherflex for all-weather, Winter i*cept for winter, and Smart for commercial truck and bus.

The original equipment tire business is a particular strength. As of 2026, the company says it supplies OE tires to approximately 50 automotive brands across roughly 300 vehicle models. The EV segment is a stated priority: iON-branded EV tires accounted for 27% of passenger car and light truck OE tire sales in FY2025, and 29.6% in the first quarter of 2026. Production capacity runs to approximately 100 million tires annually across eight global manufacturing plants.

The second major business is thermal management, following Hankook Tire's acquisition of Hanon Systems in January 2025. Hanon, a global supplier of automotive thermal and energy management systems, reported FY2025 revenue of KRW 10.9 trillion, making it roughly equal in size to the tire division on a revenue basis. The third business is energy storage, operated through the holding company's own ES business headquarters, which produces AGM and industrial batteries under the Hankook AtlasBX identity, with emphasis on high-performance AGM batteries for automotive and commercial applications in the US and European markets.

Additional affiliates include Hankook Precision Works (precision components and molds), Hankook Engineering Works (manufacturing equipment), and Hankook Networks (IT services and logistics engineering, spun out of Hankook Tire's information systems division in 2000).

Financial performance

Hankook Tire & Technology, the group's principal listed operating entity, reported FY2025 consolidated revenue of approximately KRW 21.2 trillion -- EUR 13.2 billion at the average rate for the period -- and operating profit of KRW 1.84 trillion (EUR 1.15 billion), an 8.7% operating margin. The Berylls Top-100 automotive supplier study for 2026 places Hankook & Company at rank 23 with EUR 13.1 billion in automotive-sector revenue and an 8.7% operating margin, which aligns to the consolidated Hankook Tire figure (per the company's own filings).

The tire division alone reached KRW 10.3 trillion in 2025, passing the KRW 10 trillion threshold for the first time since the company's founding. High-inch tires (18 inches and larger) accounted for 47.8% of passenger car and light truck tire sales in FY2025, up from a lower share in prior years, reflecting the company's stated strategy of shifting toward higher-value products.

The FY2025 comparison is complicated by a perimeter change: Hanon Systems was consolidated as a Hankook Tire subsidiary beginning Q1 2025, roughly doubling reported group revenue. The year-on-year growth rate in the Berylls study is therefore not presented for this edition, as it would be a consolidation effect rather than an organic signal. For the Hankook & Company holding company standalone, FY2025 revenue was KRW 1.46 trillion and operating profit was KRW 411.6 billion, driven by the battery business.

In the second quarter of 2026, the group reported consolidated revenue of KRW 5.68 trillion, up 5.8% year on year, and operating profit of KRW 559 billion, up 58.1%. The tire division set a quarterly sales record at KRW 2.81 trillion.

The group employs approximately 20,000 people in the tire division alone, across eight manufacturing plants on five continents, plus a separately staffed Hanon Systems workforce.

Ownership and history

Hankook & Company Group traces its founding to May 10, 1941, when the company began as Chosun Daiya Industrial in Seoul -- Korea's first tire company. The name changed to Hankook Tire Manufacturing in 1968. Over the following decades, the company built out a global manufacturing and commercial network: a Daejeon plant in 1979, a Chinese joint venture in the 1990s, a Hungarian plant in 2008, a Tennessee plant in the US in 2017, and expanded Chinese capacity.

The holding company structure was formalized in 2021 when the tire-focused Hankook Tire & Technology was reorganized under Hankook & Company Co., Ltd. as the listed holding entity. Hankook AtlasBX, the battery business, was absorbed into the holding company via merger that same year. Chairman Hyunbum Cho leads the group. Since early 2026, Hankook & Company has operated with a dual CEO structure: Jongho Park (head of the battery ES business) and Kim Joon-hyun (overall management and strategy, appointed March 2026). Hankook Tire & Technology's operations are led by Vice Chairman and CEO Sooil Lee.

Hankook Tire & Technology is listed on the Korea Exchange (KRX: 161390). Hankook & Company Co., Ltd. is also listed. The group is headquartered at 286 Pangyo-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province -- the Pangyo Technoplex campus, to which the company relocated its headquarters in 2020.

Certifications and quality

Hankook Tire states that its manufacturing plants hold IATF 16949 certification, the quality management standard specific to automotive production. Individual plants have also pursued sustainability certifications: the Daejeon plant obtained ISCC PLUS international sustainability certification in December 2025, and the Hungarian plant achieved it in 2023. The group received a FIA Three Star Environmental Accreditation for motorsports operations. For seven consecutive years through 2022, Hankook Tire was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World. A Korean state filing and the company's own investor materials describe a formal quality management structure applied across tire, APQP, and PPAP procedures for original equipment programs.

Known customers

Hankook Tire's OE customer list is extensive and well-documented through its own press releases and milestone records. A selection of the programs on the public record:

The company states approximately 50 OEM partnerships and 300 vehicle models globally as of 2026, per the 85th anniversary press release.

Recent news

February 2026 -- Hankook Tire reported FY2025 consolidated revenue of KRW 21.2 trillion and operating profit of KRW 1.84 trillion. The tire division surpassed KRW 10 trillion for the first time in company history. Hanon Systems, consolidated since Q1 2025, contributed KRW 10.9 trillion in its first full year as a subsidiary (Hankook Tire press release).

March 2026 -- Hankook & Company appointed Kim Joon-hyun as co-CEO, creating a dual leadership structure alongside Park Jongho. Kim, a former executive vice president in charge of overall management, takes responsibility for long-term growth strategy, portfolio value, and financial soundness (Korea Times, Mar 31, 2026).

June 2026 -- Hankook Tire marked its 85th anniversary. The company has 50 OEM partnerships and 8 production sites across five continents. Auto Bild named Hankook "Top Manufacturer of the Year 2026" in the summer tire category (Hankook Tire media center press release).

Frequently asked questions

What does Hankook & Company make?

Hankook & Company is a South Korean holding company whose principal businesses are tires (Hankook Tire & Technology), automotive thermal management (Hanon Systems, consolidated from 2025), and AGM automotive batteries (Hankook AtlasBX). The tire business produces approximately 100 million tires annually across 8 global plants and 4 brands including the EV-focused iON sub-brand.

Who owns Hankook & Company?

Hankook & Company Co., Ltd. is a publicly listed holding company on the Korea Exchange. Chairman Hyunbum Cho leads the group. As of March 2026, the holding company operates with dual CEOs: Jongho Park (battery/energy business) and Kim Joon-hyun (overall strategy). The main tire subsidiary, Hankook Tire & Technology, is separately listed (KRX: 161390).

What is Hankook & Company's annual revenue?

Per the Berylls Top-100 automotive supplier study (2026 edition, FY2025 figures), Hankook & Company's automotive-sector revenue was approximately EUR 13.1 billion, with an 8.7% operating margin. Hankook Tire & Technology's published FY2025 consolidated financial results report KRW 21.2 trillion (~EUR 13.2 billion), consistent with the Berylls figure. The 2025 total includes Hanon Systems from Q1 2025 following its acquisition.

Where is Hankook & Company headquartered?

Hankook & Company Group is headquartered at 286 Pangyo-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea -- the Pangyo Technoplex campus. The company relocated there from its prior Seoul address in 2020. The tire subsidiary, Hankook Tire & Technology, maintains its own headquarters and a central R&D campus called the Technodome in the same area, along with 5 R&D centers globally.

Who are Hankook & Company's major customers?

Hankook Tire supplies original equipment tires to approximately 50 automotive brands across roughly 300 vehicle models. Documented OEM programs include BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Lucid Motors, Tesla, BYD, Hyundai, Kia, Ford, and GMC, among others, based on the company's own press releases and milestone records.

Last verified September 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.