Short answers, pulled from the story.
Kia began operations in May 1944 under the name Kyungsung Precision Industry. The company initially crafted steel tubing and bicycle parts before producing South Korea's first domestic bicycle, the Samchuly, in 1951.
Kia stopped making passenger cars because military dictator Chun Doo-hwan enforced industry consolidation that forced the firm to focus entirely on light trucks. No passenger cars were built by Kia in 1984 or 1985 until it rejoined the automobile industry through a partnership with Ford starting in 1986.
Hyundai Motor Company acquired 51% of Kia in 1998 after outbidding Ford Motor Company which had owned an interest since 1986. This agreement came as Kia declared bankruptcy in 1997 during the Asian financial crisis and could not sustain operations alone.
Kia Motors America opened its new plant in West Point, Georgia, in February 2010 after breaking ground in October 2006. The facility represents a US$1 billion investment and has successfully built over 3 million units of three models as of September 2019.
Vehicles manufactured between 2010 and 2021 were made without immobilizers which allowed them to be stolen easily via the Kia Challenge social media movement. Kia responded by offering free software updates requiring a key in the ignition to start the vehicle and distributing over 26,000 steering wheel locks to law enforcement agencies.