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The
move comes as Volkswagen has struggled with a sales slump in
South Korea, Asia's second-biggest diesel car market, after the
firm admitted in the United States to using software to cheat on
emissions tests on some diesel cars.
It also comes ahead of an environment ministry review later this
month or in early August on whether to revoke the certification
of 32 vehicle types made by Volkswagen, its Audi and Bentley
units, which would lead to a sales ban of the affected models in
the country.
It is expected to take several months for Volkswagen to achieve
certification again for the models.
South Korean prosecutors had notified the ministry of the list
of models, accusing Volkswagen's South Korean unit of
fabricating documents on emissions and noise-level tests, the
ministry said. Prosecutors last month arrested a local
Volkswagen executive, as part of a widening probe.
"We have decided to suspend sales of the affected models to
reduce confusion among dealers and customers," a spokesman for
Volkswagen's South Korean unit said.
Volkswagen, Europe's biggest car maker, will decide whether or
not to take a legal action against South Korea's planned
decision, which will come after the company presents its case to
the ministry on July 25, he said.
Volkswagen alone saw South Korean sales slump 33 percent to
12,463 vehicles in the first half of this year from a year
earlier, according to the industry association's data.
Globally, the company has already set aside about $18 billion to
cover the cost of the scandal, mainly vehicle refits and a
settlement with U.S. authorities, and analysts had expected
lawsuits and potential regulatory fines to increase that number.
(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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