Hyundai Motor signs sponsorship contract with Kim Yu-na

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SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker, said Monday it has signed a two-year sponsorship contract with two-time figure skating Grand Prix Finals champion Kim Yu-na.
Under the contract, Hyundai will have sponsorship rights by December 2010 for the
18-year-old Kim, who is scheduled to compete at worldwide Grand Prix events and
the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the automaker said in a statement.
"I will become the world's top skating athlete, weaving my way through the world
like Hyundai Motor," Kim said at the signing ceremony.
Financial terms of the contract weren't disclosed.
"Sponsoring Kim Yu-na is a big pleasure for Hyundai Motor as she encourages
people to hope," said Hyundai Motor President Choi Jae-kook. "I hope Kim goes on
to achieve even better results."
On Saturday, Kim failed to become only the second female skater to win three
straight Grand Prix finals, after her defeat by Japanese rival Mao Asada at the
ISU Grand Prix finals in north of Seoul.
Kim came second with 120.41 points, while Asada won the event with 123.17 points.
Kim, who will become a university student next year, is a major star in South
Korea and tickets for the skating competition sold out.
Last week, she was selected as the "Sports Star of the Year" by a Gallup poll,
followed by Park Tae-hwan, 18, who became the nation's first swimming gold
medalist in the Beijing Olympic.
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