[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor, the nation’s largest automaker, was forced to suspend production at its main auto plants in Ulsan after a strong Typhoon Chaba hit the country’s southern region on Oct. 5.

Two out of five factories in Ulsan, located some 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, shut down production around noon due to inflow of water in their facilities as heavy rains and violent winds lashed the region.

The second factory, which produces Santa Fe SUV and Avante compact sedan, is yet to resume production, while the first factory, which makes sub-compact Accent and Veloster coupe, resumed operations after three hours at 3 p.m.

Hyundai said it plans to reopen production of the second plant by the afternoon on Oct. 6, after all safety inspections are complete.

The shutdown followed a series of suspended operations at the Ulsan facility due to ongoing labor strikes, which the Ministry of Employment and Labor said resulted in production loss of at least 131,000 vehicles worth more than 2.9 trillion won (US$2.61 billion) this year.

Earlier in September, the automaker temporarily shut down parts of its assembly lines due to an earthquake in Gyeongju.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)