[Exclusive] Kim Myunghwan, Former LG Energy Solution President, Appointed Head of Next-Generation Secondary Battery Innovation Strategy Research Group

Attempt to Consolidate Battery Industry Capabilities through Public-Private Cooperation
"Let's Join Forces with Companies to Compete Against China"

A private expert who used to earn a multi-billion won annual salary has been appointed to lead a government-private fusion research organization launched to take charge of the future of South Korea's secondary battery industry in response to China's offensive.

Kim Myunghwan, Head of the Next-Generation Secondary Battery Innovation Strategy Research Group. Photo by Baek Jongmin

According to the scientific community on the 5th, Kim Myunghwan, head of the Next-Generation Secondary Battery Innovation Strategy Research Group, has started his duties. Director Kim is a battery expert who previously served as CPO (Chief Production Purchasing Officer) at LG Energy Solution. It is unusual for a talent who has served as president in a private large corporation to take on the role of head of a research group centered on government-funded research institutes.

Director Kim has taken on the heavy responsibility of drawing a new future for the Korean battery industry by leveraging his experience in the private sector to foster public-private research cooperation. Lee Youngguk, president of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, hinted that recruiting Director Kim was not an easy task, saying, "We have brought in an expert from the private sector with great difficulty." Considering the importance of the director, the research group decided to find a leader from the private sector rather than promoting internally within the government-funded institutes and has been searching for a suitable candidate.

The 'Next-Generation Secondary Battery Innovation Strategy Research Group,' centered on seven government-funded research institutes including the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, is a core field of the 'Global TOP Strategy Research Group' selected by the Ministry of Science and ICT last year.

Its goal is to develop safe and convenient next-generation secondary batteries. The Next-Generation Secondary Battery Innovation Strategy Research Group is led by the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology and includes 52 institutions such as the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Korea Institute of Energy Research, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, and Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials. A budget of 130 billion won will be invested until 2029.

With the director starting work, the research group is also gaining momentum. About 300 people attended the Next-Generation Secondary Battery Innovation Strategy Research Group workshop held at the Science and Technology Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, including participating institutions, Lee Chang-yoon, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, and executives from battery companies such as Samsung SDI, LG Energy Solution, and SK On.

Director Kim emphasized, "Korean companies must unite to compete against Chinese batteries." Vice Minister Lee Chang-yoon also expressed expectations, saying, "Director Kim will play the role of signaling that government-funded research institutes, industry, and academia are pulling in the same direction." Minister Yoo Sang-im of the Ministry of Science and ICT also visited the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology on the 3rd to encourage secondary battery development.