Korean vs Japanese Cars

[n25]

I've been eyeing the new Hyundai Accent ever since it was announced, however my friend keeps on telling me to avoid Korean cars as they are just not good for the money compared to Japanese cars. He states that the engineering on Korean cars haven't yet been at the same level with Japanese cars, as well as some other things such as performance and resale value among other things which always favor the Japanese manufacturers on all accounts. With that in mind, I wonder how Hyundai/Kia owners feel about this. How about Japanese car owners, are these always true? I'd really like to know your inputs guys as a newbie on cars I can't just rely on my friend's opinion regarding this. I hope to hear from you, thanks!