In June, the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) held a board meeting at the Mercedes-Benz Korea headquarters in Seoul.
However, Dimitris Psillakis, CEO of Benz Korea, who was appointed vice president of KAIDA in March, did not appear at the board meeting.
Instead, he attended a video conference at Stuttgart, the headquarters of Mercedes-Benz in Germany. It's already been two months since he left for a long overseas business trip.
According to sources of the import car industry, speculation is mounting that the Mercedes-Benz Korea CEO will leave for the U.S., his next post, after an unusually long overseas business trip.
As of September 1, CEO Psillakis will be transferred to the Mercedes-Benz USA sales and product management post. Therefore, Psillakis's term in office in South Korea is virtually the end of this month. As his successor, CEO Björn Hauber will begin his term on August 1.
He is currently chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea(ECCK). He was also elected vice president of the KAIDA earlier this year.
Soon after CEO Psillakis was appointed vice president of the KAIDA, allegations of manipulating emissions from Mercedes-Benz vehicles were raised. The press continued to report.
On May 6, Korea's Ministry of Environment confirmed that it had set up emission control programs for 37,154 Mercedes-Benz diesel cars sold to the Korean market over the past seven years.
On May 27-28, Prosecutors then raided the headquarters of Benz Korea on charges of manipulating emissions. Ministry fined Mercedes-Benz Korea 77.6 billion won ($64.7 million), the most ever for a car imported to Korea.
At that time, not only the size of the fine but also the contents and timing of the replacement of the CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea became a hot topic in the industry. That's because Mercedes-Benz's headquarters appointed Psillakis to a post in the United States on May 1, five days before the ministry's announcement.
If Psillakis, who became CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea in September 2015, wants to complete his term in Korea, he should return home next week at the latest, considering the two weeks of self-isolation related to the COVID-19.
Regarding the fate of CEO Psillakis, Mercedes-Benz Korea has only officially responded that he is on a business trip. In the beginning, it was said that CEO Psillakis would return home and hold a press conference to express his opinions, but now it has not happened.
Controversy grew as it was revealed during the search and seizure that CEO Psillakis had gone abroad. He is believed to have left for Germany in mid-May, where Benz headquarters is located.
It is virtually impossible for the prosecution to forcibly summon him to Korea if he does not voluntarily enter the country.
Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz Korea stated, "We plan to pursue legal action against the environment ministry's decision in the near future."
