청 "Pressure to jointly develop next-generation batteries? Clear falsehood"

Sangjo Kim, Chief of Blue House Policy Office, Clarifies Reports on Joint Projects of 5 Major Groups... "Regret Why Such Parts Were Reported as False"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] A Blue House official explained on the 23rd, during a meeting with reporters, that reports claiming Policy Chief Kim Sang-jo demanded joint projects from the top 5 conglomerates were false.

The Blue House official stated, "Along with the Deputy Prime Minister for Economy, we explained the 2020 economic policy direction to the top 5 conglomerates and received industry suggestions. At this meeting, we mentioned that this year’s R&D investment is 24 trillion won, and that the government would actively support any efforts to secure Korea’s future food sources," adding, "There was no request for companies to submit joint new business proposals."

The Blue House official said, "Regarding reports that we pressured the three battery companies for joint development, I would like to clarify. There were industry demands concerning the secondary battery industry, and at the same time, it was necessary to understand the current status," and added, "Therefore, together with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, we held a meeting to listen to the current competitiveness of the secondary battery industry and industry policy suggestions."

The Blue House official continued, "This was in December last year. The meeting was an opportunity to hear the industry's difficulties in strengthening the competitiveness of the domestic secondary battery industry and the government’s suggestions," and emphasized, "At no point did we request the three battery companies and Hyundai Motor Company to jointly develop next-generation batteries. That is a clear falsehood."

The Blue House official further stated, "The main topics discussed were opinions on market outlook, the technological gap with competing countries, and the super-gap, meaning next-generation secondary battery industry opinions and suggestions. I reiterate that this was a meeting to listen to various opinions," and added, "It is regrettable that such matters were falsely reported."