Korean Car VIN Decoder & Encar Chassis Inspector
Instantly decode any 17-digit South Korean chassis number. Uncover manufacturer origin, model year, assembly plant (Ulsan, Asan, Hwaseong, Sohari), engine classification, and check digit validation.
Chassis Integrity & Validation
2023 Genesis Motor (Hyundai Luxury Brand)
2023
Character 'P' at position 10
Asan Plant (Chungcheongnam-do, Korea)
Assembly code 'A' at position 11
Premium Luxury Vehicle
Executive Fastback Luxury Sedan
Smartstream G2.5T / G3.5T Twin-Turbo Direct Injection
Electronically Controlled AWD (AWD Platform)
018492
Factory chassis sequential number
Dual Stage Advanced Airbags + Curtain
K-NCAP / Euro NCAP compliant
How South Korean Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) Work
Every vehicle manufactured or officially imported into South Korea utilizes a 17-character standardized chassis code regulated by ISO 3779 and supervised by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). In the Korean domestic market (KDM), the VIN is stamped into the firewall or structural engine bay crossmember and recorded across government databases (KIDI CarHistory, Encar.com, and MOLIT).
Major South Korean World Manufacturer Identifiers (WMI Codes)
| WMI Code | Manufacturer | Vehicle Division | Primary Plant Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| KMH | Hyundai Motor Company | Passenger Cars (Sonata, Elantra, Ioniq) | Asan / Ulsan, South Korea |
| KM8 | Hyundai Motor Company | SUV / MPV / Crossover (Santa Fe, Tucson, Palisade) | Ulsan Plant Complex, South Korea |
| KMT | Genesis Motor | Luxury Vehicles (G70, G80, G90, GV70, GV80) | Ulsan Plant 5, South Korea |
| KNA | Kia Corporation | Passenger Cars (K5, K8, K3) | Autoland Hwaseong / Sohari, Korea |
| KND | Kia Corporation | SUV / Minivan (EV6, EV9, Sorento, Carnival, Sportage) | Autoland Gwangju / Hwaseong, Korea |
| KPA / KPB | KG Mobility | SUV / Pickup (Torres, Rexton, Tivoli) | Pyeongtaek Main Plant, Korea |
| KL1 / KL2 | GM Korea | Trax Crossover, Trailblazer | Changwon / Bupyeong, Korea |
Frequently Asked Questions: Korean VIN Lookup & Encar Verification
Where can I locate the VIN on an Encar vehicle listing?
On the public Encar.com web page, VINs are frequently obscured or embedded into dynamic image canvas elements to prevent automated copying. The Rinevo API decodes and unmasks the full 17-digit chassis VIN directly from authorized MOLIT records, allowing instant cross-referencing against KIDI accident history.
Can I search Encar by Korean license plate number instead of VIN?
Yes. Korean vehicles are predominantly identified domestically by their Hangul license plate (e.g. 01가1234). The Rinevo REST API supports bidirectional lookup: you can query by either Korean registration plate or 17-digit chassis VIN via the endpoint /api/v2/vehicles?licensePlate=181저6979.
How does the ISO 3779 Check Digit prevent VIN fraud?
Position 9 of any 17-digit VIN is a mathematical checksum calculated using modulo 11 weights. If any digit or letter is mistyped or illegally altered on a chassis plate, the computed remainder fails to match position 9, immediately alerting buyers and scrapers of a counterfeit chassis code.
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Query live Korean cars by chassis VIN or plate with sub-120ms response times.