Silly question but is the K badge and official Kia badge in another country?
Kia’s International Logo Design Vs. Kia’s Korean Logo
Kia, the oldest automaker in Korea, began in June 1944 as a manufacturer of bicycle components. Chul-Ho Kim, who founded the company, had a specific name in mind for the company. According to the automaker, the name “Kia” is a combination of “ki” (起) meaning arise or come up out of and “A” (亞), signifying Asia. Thus, Kia (起亞) can be defined as “rising out of Asia.”
Kia has two logos: the text-based symbol for international use and another for only South Korea. The latter is known as the “K” logo:
Kia K Logo Korean
This logo has been used over the years for some models sold in Korea, but it’s made very few appearances outside of Asia. The stylized “K” is undeniably appealing, especially its use of the diagonal double-line and lack of a vertical backbone. It’s slick and kinetic, and suggests high-excitement driving
This logo even inspired an after-market imitation badge (known as the 3.0 K emblem) some Kia owners purchase to replace their text-based Kia badge with–although plenty of debate has surrounded this badge’s legitimacy.