S. Korea conducts probe into imported Toyota, Yamaha models over fraudulent Japanese testing

The South Korean government said Thursday it has carried out a probe into some imported vehicles made by Japanese automakers Toyota Motor Corp. and Yamaha Motor Co. in connection with their improper certification tests in their home country.

Seoul's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it has looked into whether 38 models from Japanese automakers currently under investigation for fraudulent certification tests in Tokyo were being sold in South Korea.

The ministry said none of the models in question have been imported in South Korea. It, however, discovered that some models of Toyota's Lexus RX line and Yamaha's Tmax and YZF-R3 motorcycle models sold in the country were equipped with the same engines and horns as ones in problematic models.

Accordingly, the ministry said it has been reviewing the three models for manufacturing defects since Friday.

As of this month, there are 6,749 registered Lexus RX units, 1,910 Yamaha Tmax units and 1,318 YZF-R3 units in the country. The ministry said it plans to monitor measures taken by Japanese authorities and take proper action if the vehicles fail to meet safety standards. (Yonhap)