Hyundai Motor Group, the nation’s largest carmaker, on Monday promoted 348 executives in an apparent move to secure its future amid growing uncertainty in markets in and out of the country.

The number of executives promoted slightly dropped from last year’s 368, but had a larger number of research and development experts included in the list to secure a competitive edge for the future, the company said in a statement

The group promoted Sung Sang-rok, vice president of Hyundai Engineering, to a president position, calling him an expert in building chemical engineering plants.

Out of the 11 vice presidents promoted, seven were from the carmaker’s R&D divisions, including Chung Young-chul, head of Hyundai Kia’s information technology division and Yang Seung-wook, head of the Hyundai Mobis R&D division.

The announcement appears to have reflected Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo’s will to secure automobile technologies to take a lead in the future, according to local reports.

Breaking the tradition of a seniority-first culture, the group also promoted Chang Woong-jun, the 37-year-old senior researcher who led the development of the Advanced Driver Assistance System, a core system of Hyundai Kia’s autonomous car technology.

The group usually unveils the list of promoted executives around the end of each year.

But the announcement was delayed last year for the first time since 2006, when the group was probed by prosecutors over the ownership family’s alleged creation of slush funds.

The latest delay was seen to have been affected by the parliamentary hearing on chaebol owners over their alleged corruptive ties to President Park Geun-hye and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil, as well as an ongoing investigation by an independent counsel into companies and political figures involved.

The carmaker has also been facing growing business risks amid lower-than-expected performance last year.

The carmaker’s operating profit fell 5 trillion won ($4.4 billion), the largest drop in the last six years. It sold 78.8 million vehicles, 1.7 percent less than a year before.

External factors add uncertainty to Hyundai’s future such as market risks over growing protectionism being initiated by new US President Donald Trump and volatile exchange fluctuations.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)