A photo showing the recycling process for used electric vehicle batteries [Yonhap]
A photo showing the recycling process for used electric vehicle batteries [Yonhap]

As demand for electric vehicle batteries surges, the South Korean government is tearing down bureaucratic barriers between ministries to promote the used battery industry and build a circular economy around battery resources.

The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Friday they would sign a memorandum of understanding at the Korea Productivity Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to strengthen mutual cooperation on used battery policy.

Used batteries are a strategic resource containing critical minerals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt, making them essential for strengthening supply chains and securing national resource security.

Under the agreement, which aims to support the full lifecycle use of used batteries, the two ministries will build a "battery trading and tracking management platform" by linking their separate information systems to enable safe, efficient battery tracking and supply chain stabilization.

The plan calls for integrating the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy's existing systems — covering greenhouse gas life cycle assessment and recycling — with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's systems covering distribution and reuse in the used battery industry, creating a unified public-facing service.

Alongside this, the ministries will directly link the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy's recycled-material production certification regime with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's recycled-material use and content certification regime, aligning the scope of certification targets and allowing production certification documents to be used directly in use certification, thereby improving coherence between the two systems.

The two ministries will also revise relevant laws and regulations governing used batteries.

They plan to establish transport and storage rules for used battery distributors and improve management standards for used battery recyclers. The changes are expected to help maintain the quality of used batteries and recycled materials above a consistent standard.

The agreement also calls for securing operational continuity at future waste resource collection centers — the public-sector hubs responsible for collecting and distributing used batteries — to prevent gaps in the used battery recycling cycle.

The centers will be given a legal basis in subordinate regulations to continue their existing used battery collection and sales operations after the Act on the Management and Industry Promotion of Used Batteries takes effect.

The two ministries will also plan and pursue joint research and development projects covering a range of technology development areas — including energy storage systems and recycled-material extraction and quality control — along with related regulatory improvements.

A working-level consultative body co-chaired by the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy's director general for resource circulation and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's director for advanced industry policy will identify and discuss additional areas of cooperation on used batteries.

Kim Han-seung, first vice minister of the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, said establishing a used battery circular-use system as electric vehicle adoption rapidly expands is "a core task for realizing a sustainable circular economy." He added that the ministry would work closely with its counterpart to organically link related regulations and build a circular-use system combining both environmental soundness and industrial competitiveness.

Moon Shin-hak, vice minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said building a robust ecosystem for used batteries is "the most urgent priority" for developing the battery industry into a sustainable future industry, and called the MOU "an important milestone that breaks down the barriers between the two ministries and lays the foundation for a sustainable future for South Korea's battery industry."


thlee@heraldcorp.com