Seoul: GM Korea Co. plans to introduce an advanced hands-free driver assistance system in South Korea later this year, the company said Wednesday, stressing the U.S. automaker’s commitment to its Korean operations despite unfavorable business conditions stemming from Washington’s auto tariffs.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the announcement from the South Korean unit of General Motors Co. to launch its Super Cruise system, currently only available in North America and China, comes as Washington began imposing 25 percent tariffs on automobile imports on April 3, fueling concerns over the long-term stability of GM Korea, which maintains a manufacturing presence in Incheon, west of Seoul.

Super Cruise, first launched in 2017 and billed as the industry’s first hands-free driver assistance system, has already logged more than 545 million miles, or 877 million kilometers, in North America with a strong safety record, GM Korea said.

The system has been localized to cover more than 23,000 km of expressways and major arterial roads in South Korea, making the country the first market outside North America and China to adopt the technology.

“My view is that South Korea is a strategically important market for GM,” Chae Myung-shin, head of the project at GM Korea, said in a media event held in Seoul. “The fact that Super Cruise is being introduced here after the United States and China shows the significance of our commitment.”