Have you ever wondered what the first Korean-made car was?

The Hyundai Pony was the first Korean-developed car in the world, built in 1975. Being also the first car to be exported out of Korea (to Ecuador in 1976), the Pony helped South Korea become the fifth largest producer and sixth largest exported of automobiles in the world.

The Hyundai Pony in the photo above is a second generation 2 door pick-up model built around 1980. It’s been modified to be used as a nicknack store on wheels. I took the photo above in the Gangnam district of Seoul.

I have a theory: the way someone parks their car is partial evidence in how they drive. As you can see in the photo above, if my theory is correct, this driver should not be on the road. They are probably a terror on the road.

Eunmi warned me that Koreans are crazy drivers. After driving in Seoul, I’ve realized she is absolutely right. In fact, it’s a little scary at times when driving here. It’s hard to capture this on film, so you’ll have to just believe my theory in parking vs driving.

Driving in Korea is a pain. Difficulty in parking and crazy Korean drivers are just part of the story – the traffic is unbearable. The freeways were a parking lot at 7:30 pm on a Saturday night in Seoul. It took us over an hour to go 40 kilometers to “Global Gathering” near World Cup Stadium. It was no different than driving in Los Angeles on the 405 on a weekday afternoon. Seoul is similarly sized and populated as Los Angeles.

Unique to Korea, you have to leave your phone number on the dashboard of your car. Due to lack of real estate, parking is often difficult in Seoul, so you are inevitably going to block someone else in or out with your car. Everyone has their phone number on their dash out of necessity – some even have customized/fancy plaques with their number on it.

Phone number in the dash. Sounds old-school and ridiculous, but it’s effective.

This is the Daewoo I rented this weekend. I’m pretty proud of my parking job. Notice how people park both ways on each side of the street, instead of just in the direction of the traffic.  I remember getting a ticket in Minnesota for parking the wrong way, even on the correct side of the street.

Eunmi found a guy who owns a car rental company, who happened to live near my neighborhood. We met at a grocery store to sign the paperwork. He said, “Go to my house tomorrow… my father will have the keys for you. It’ll be parked in the garage below.” I asked, “What about the gas tank? Do I return it full?” He replied, “Just bring it back with a little left in the tank.” I guess this is how business is conducted in Korea sometimes. Small-neighborhood feel. Much of Seoul actually feels small-town. I kind of like it.

Decent parking job, but still needs work.

We rented a Samsung SM5 from Avis car rental in Jeju Island. Since Samsung cars are available only in Korea, I was insistent on renting the SM5.  The other vehicle in the same price range was the Hyundai Sonata (by the way, the correct pronunciation is hee-yun-day (not hun-day ). The Samsung line-up includes the SM3, the SM5, and the biggest of them all, the SM7. Correction – the correct pronunciation is hyun-day, not hee-yun-day, or hun-day (thank you Helena!).

The SM5 is actually sometimes referred to as a Renault Samsung SM5. Renault purchased 70 percent of Samsung 9 years ago. The SM5 is manufactured at a Nissan/Samsung Renault factory in Busan, South Korea.  As you you can see it looks very similar to the Nissan Altima in the US, or what is branded as a Nissan Teana elsewhere.

Pretty boring looking car, but very popular in Korea. Samsung has Hyundai beat out by just a little bit in brand power. Samsung is the richest and biggest of the chaebols (huge conglomerates like LG and Hyundai) in Korea.

The most interesting aspect of this car is the fuel it uses. It is powered by a more-efficient, cleaner burning fuel called LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas. LPG can be used for engines, cooking, and refrigeration. In Korea, all the taxis use LPG. It is considered a “dangerous good” and is highly explosive. You can tell it’s a serious tank.

Pressure monitor of the pressurized gas tank.  Looks like it’s a weapon or something.

Interior of the SM5. Although it looks pretty basic, you get a lot of luxury and gadgetry for cheap in this car. It even has heated leather seats and automatic windshield wipers. The ride is decent, although performance is a little sluggish.

My only real qualm with the vehicle was the aftermarket navigation system. Cumbersome to use, makes annoying sounds, and beeps non-stop whenever you speed – even if it’s just by 1 km/hour.