Hyundai Motor on Monday denied that the tax authorities were launching an investigation into the carmaker.

“We know nothing of the matter,” the company’s public relations team said in a statement.

Earlier, reports had said the National Tax Service was poised to begin a tax investigation into Hyundai Motor. The move would have marked yet another attempt on the part of the Park Geun-hye government to squeeze companies for more taxes.

The foreign auto sector has been quietly but insistently filing complaints with the government regarding probes that it recently has been subjected to, especially the Germany carmakers that are said to have discussed the matter with their government back home.

The growing discontent signals the issue has the potential to become a bilateral problem, those close to the matter said.

Other officials of Hyundai Motor said if there was an investigation going on that it was not aware of, it could be a part of regular probes that occur once every five years.

If so, the probe would be behind schedule since it last underwent such an investigation in 2007, when the tax authorities searched many of the key affiliates of Hyundai Motor.

Tax authorities said they had informed Hyundai of the investigation and were planning to “soon” send in a team of investigators.

By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)