Kumho Tires can trace its origins back to 1960, when Incheon Park -- the founder of Kumho Asiana Group -- began by producing up to 20 tires a day in order to solve a shortage of quality tires for his bus company, Gwangju Transportation Co., Ltd. Fast forward to today, and Kumho Tires remains part of the Kumho Asiana Group, although it's now grown into a global manufacturer with a presence in over 180 countries.
The aforementioned parent group, Kumho Asiana, is also known for its airline and construction
businesses. Over the decades, Kumho has expanded from a small local producer into the world's seventh-largest tire maker, exporting more than 68 million tires annually. Impressively, Kumho Tires still runs and operates from South Korea.
It's here where much of Kumho Tires' production takes place, although the company boasts numerous manufacturing facilities worldwide. In South Korea, there are three major plants -- Pyeongtaek, Gokseong, and Gwangju -- the latter also housing the company's largest research and development center. Beyond South Korea, Kumho runs three plants in China -- Tianjin, Gaoxin in Nanjing, and Changchun -- plus one in Vietnam's Binh Duong Province. This distributed network ensures Kumho can meet global demand while tailoring production to regional markets.
Research and development is just as global. In addition to the main Gwangju facility, Kumho maintains R&D centers in Akron, Ohio, and Birmingham, UK, along with some supplementary centers in Buchholz, Germany, and Tianjin, China. The company's product range is shaped by this international footprint, allowing Kumho to compete head-to-head with major tire brands worldwide.
Read more: 9 Tire Brands Owned By Michelin
Kumho Tires: Awards And Motorsport Involvement
Kumho's growth is backed by an impressive track record of industry recognition. In 2024, it achieved the highest ratings in summer tire performance tests from two leading European automotive publications, ADAC and Auto Bild. That same year, it topped the Korea Customer Satisfaction Index's Passenger Tire category for the 20th consecutive year, and it was named best in the Tire Category at the Korea Sustainability Index for the second straight year. Kumho has also earned a Gold Medal from EcoVadis, seeing it rank within the top 5% worldwide.
Motorsport has been another key pillar in Kumho's brand strategy, although perhaps not quite as famously as competitor brands, such as Michelin, Goodyear, and Pirelli -- the latter of which currently manufactures tires for the Formula One series. However, Kumho has supplied tires to high-profile racing events such as Auto GP, Masters of F3, and Germany's VLN endurance series. In 2012, Kumho became the official tire supplier for Auto GP. Kumho had even developed F1 sample tires as early as 2007, signaling its long-term ambitions in top-tier racing.
Today, Kumho continues to supply official tires for events including TCR Australia, and the National Sport Sedan Series, also an Australian series. These partnerships and motorsport involvements serve both as high-performance testing grounds, and as powerful marketing platforms, reinforcing Kumho's reputation for innovation and quality both on and off the track.
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