French carmaker Citroen will reenter the Korean market in April with its DS3 models, according to its local distributor Hanbul Motors Corp. on Thursday.

The launch will resume the import of the French brand under the PSA Peugeot Citroen Group after a decade-long hiatus.

“Citroen will resume imports of its cars starting in April this year. Pricing won’t be revealed until right before the launch, but other details will be confirmed by late February,” PR manager Kim Ju-young said. 

Citroen showcased its DS3 series at the Seoul Motor Show 2011 and had initially planned to enter the local market by the end of last year. Citroen vehicles were available in Korea during the 1990s and early 2000s, but imports were stopped in 2002 due to poor sales.

The carmaker has expressed higher hopes for Korea this time around, especially after the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement.

“We at Citroen have a new logo, new technology and it was the right time (to come back) because of Korea’s trade pact with Europe,” Eric Dumondelle, chief of the company’s Asia Pacific division, said at the motor show last year.

“The Asia region is our priority market and Korea sits among its highest.”

Hanbul, the official importer of Peugeot vehicles, said last February it signed an exclusive deal to import Citroen vehicles to Korea.

By Cynthia J. Kim (cynthiak@heraldcorp.com)