If Your Car Is Slow to Start on the Way Home for Chuseok... Hankook & Company Says, “Check the Battery First”

[Financial News] Drivers should check their vehicle’s battery before embarking on long-distance trips to and from their hometown during the Chuseok holiday. Because traffic congestion can extend the use of electrical equipment such as climate-control systems and navigation devices, drivers should prioritize an inspection before departure if the vehicle has recently been slow to start or its headlights have shown unstable brightness. When replacing a battery, they should consider not only the price and service life but also the vehicle’s specifications and recommended battery type.
Hankook & Company, the business holding company of Hankook & Company Group, provided guidance on vehicle battery inspection and maintenance on the 17th ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
If the engine takes longer than usual to start or the starter motor turns weakly, the battery’s performance may have deteriorated. If the headlights show unstable brightness, it is advisable to inspect the vehicle’s electrical system, including the battery, to identify the cause.
Battery performance varies depending on the period of use, driving conditions, and the amount of electrical equipment used. Drivers are advised to check the installation and replacement history and, if the battery has been used for a long time or shows signs of a problem, have a repair shop inspect its charge level and starting performance.
Power management after parking is also important. Drivers should check whether unnecessary electrical devices, such as interior lights, have been left on and avoid using electrical equipment for extended periods while the engine is off. A discharged battery can affect subsequent engine starts.
A Hankook & Company official said, "Checking the battery’s starting performance and the operation of electrical equipment before departure can help reduce the risk of battery discharge and starting failure during travel to and from one’s hometown for Chuseok."
When replacing a battery, drivers should check the vehicle model, year, and whether it is equipped with an ISG (idle-stop) system. Even vehicles of the same model may require different batteries depending on their detailed specifications, so drivers should review both the manufacturer’s recommended specifications and the battery currently installed.
Hankook & Company operates the “Find a Battery by License Plate” service on the official Hankook Battery website. Entering a license plate number allows users to check products suited to the vehicle’s model and year. Suitable batteries can also be searched by license plate number on T'Station.com, the online platform of T'Station, the group’s automotive service specialist.
Hankook Battery offers AGM and MF product lines tailored to vehicles and driving conditions. According to Hankook & Company, its premium “Supreme AGM” product delivers 30% higher cold-start performance than MF batteries, while charging recovery is up to 50% faster.
Hankook & Company operates the Daejeon Plant, Jeonju Plant, and production facilities in the United States. It has established a sales network serving approximately 100 countries and about 450 customers worldwide. Hankook Battery won the vehicle-battery category at the 2026 Korea Representative Brand Awards for the sixth consecutive year. Including its first win in 2017, the cumulative number of awards stands at seven.
Hankook & Company is expanding sales of high-value-added products centered on AGM batteries under Chairman Cho Hyun-bum’s global premium-growth strategy. Leveraging the group brand “Hankook” and the battery-business brand “Hankook charge in motion,” it is also expanding contact with overseas customers by participating this year in major auto-parts exhibitions in Japan, Latin America, and Germany.
[email protected] Dong-ho Kim Reporter