The lithium-ion battery is a secondary battery that can be charged and discharged. When lithium ions stored at the anode move to the cathode through the electrolyte, electrons move from the cathode to the anode, generating current. Kim Myung-hwan, head of the Next-Generation Secondary Battery Innovation Strategy Research Group at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, is a key figure who has placed South Korea's secondary battery industry at the top globally.
In 1996, he took on the role of the first battery development team leader at LG CHEM, developing the country’s first lithium-ion battery. In the 2000s, he pioneered the mid-to-large battery sector, successfully commercializing lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, surpassing Japan, which was the home country of secondary batteries. Kim has also served as the head of LG CHEM Battery Research Institute (President) and CPO (Chief Production Officer) of LG Energy Solution.
On the 18th, Kim noted during a meeting at the headquarters of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology that his motivation for moving from a large corporation to a government-funded research institute (funded research) was his strong sense of mission as someone who laid the foundation for the secondary battery industry to now lay a stepping stone for the next generation. He stated, "Chinese battery companies are embarking on the development of various next-generation batteries, backed by massive research personnel and strong government support," adding, "Now is not the time for us to compete and fight among ourselves; we need to unite academia, industry, and government to compete with China."
◇To block Chinese batteries, consolidation in academia and industry is essential
By the end of 2023, Kim stepped down from corporate leadership and began anew as a researcher at a government-funded research institute. With the launch of the 'Global TOP Strategy Research Group,' which aims to gather capabilities from academia, industry, and research for national strategic technology, Kim has taken on the development of next-generation batteries. He is also the first beneficiary of the 'National Special Researcher' system, which allows government-funded research institutes to hire outstanding talent from outside with generous compensation and without age restrictions.
Despite the attractive salaries that government-funded research institutes may offer, it is unlikely to reach the level of presidents at LG CHEM or LG Energy Solution. Nevertheless, Kim chose to work as a researcher at a government-funded research institute due to the threat posed by China. He remarked, "South Korea does not have many technologies where it can be a first mover, but lithium-ion batteries are one of them," adding, "It is unfortunate that we are falling behind China in this precious industry that we have created with great effort, and I wanted to take on a role to bring us back to the forefront."
Kim has been assigned the task of developing next-generation batteries that will follow lithium-ion batteries with a budget of 130 billion won by 2029 at the Next-Generation Secondary Battery Strategy Research Group. To achieve this, not only the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology but also seven government-funded research institutes are collaborating. Representative domestic corporations in the secondary battery sector, including LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK On, are also participating. This literally means creating a national team to compete with China in the development of next-generation batteries.
The research group plans to develop four main types of next-generation batteries by 2029: high-energy lithium-metal batteries, ultra-light lithium-sulfur batteries, high-safety all-solid-state batteries, and non-lithium secondary batteries. Given that it is a matter of developing four next-generation batteries rather than just one, it is undoubtedly a challenging goal. In comparison, the scale of investment is small compared to the trillions of won being invested in China.
Kim stated that he would maximize the research group's achievements through selection and concentration. The strategy focuses on solving technical challenges that corporations cannot address rather than trying to develop everything. He commented, "Corporations are already aiming for mass production of next-generation batteries before 2030," and added, "We intend to address critical challenges in the next-generation battery technologies developed by corporations and hand them over to the companies."
◇My role is to unify LG, Samsung, and SK
Kim commented that since he joined the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology after working solely in the corporate sector, he realized the research level and capabilities of government-funded research institutes are outstanding. He pointed out that the problem is that researchers are often unaware of what each group is doing or what is needed, leading to aimless research. He noted that there were many cases of unnecessary overlapping research among government-funded research institutes. Corporations also did not know what technologies were available at these institutes.
Since taking office, he has developed a technology roadmap to identify the essential technologies needed for the development of next-generation batteries. By allocating the development of each essential technology to different institutions and researchers, overlapping or missing research can be identified, leading to more efficient development of next-generation batteries.
Kim believes that without the participation of corporations, developing next-generation batteries, including the three representative domestic secondary battery companies, would be difficult. He connected government-funded research institutes and corporations based on the roadmap. Kim stated, "My mission is to enable government-funded research institutes to conduct the research that corporations need," emphasizing that the development of next-generation batteries should have clearly defined roles for government-funded research institutes and private corporations while being organically connected.
He cited examples of collaborations with the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials and the Korea Institute of Energy Technology while at LG Energy Solution, noting that synergies arise when corporations and government-funded research institutes work together. He mentioned, "When I was the CPO at LG Energy Solution, I needed laser welding or cutting technology, and when I visited the machinery institute, it was available there," stating, "We can serve as a bridge to connect the technologies possessed by government-funded research institutes with those desired by corporations."
It is also important to bring corporations that are reluctant to share information for security reasons to the cooperation dialogue. Kim stated that he plans to hold a technology committee meeting involving executives from the three battery companies in June. The communication among working-level personnel will happen more frequently. He indicated, "We are receiving feedback from the three battery companies on the research conducted by the research group," and added, "I plan to make selections and concentrate based on corporations' opinions on which research should be continued and which should be discontinued."
◇Passing on overseas patents leads to wasted technology
Kim has also identified the limitations and issues of public research institutions through two months of research at the government-funded research institute. He pointed out patent issues as the first concern. Corporations consider overseas patents crucial, but government-funded research institutes often register only domestic patents after developing technologies.
According to Kim, the reason government-funded research institutes have neglected overseas patents is that evaluations of researchers prioritize publications over patents. He stated, "Writing papers without patents only means publicly disclosing research results funded by taxpayers for free to the world," adding that the management of patents at government-funded research institutes needs systematic improvement.
He also advised that administrative procedures should be further simplified and that government-funded research institutes should become more open. Kim mentioned that he was asked to submit a university admission certificate during the hiring process as a research group leader. He expressed surprise, saying, "Hiring as a director should have been based on the experience I accumulated since my time at LG CHEM, but I was taken aback by the sudden demand for a college admission certificate to be hired." He concluded that reducing unnecessary administrative procedures could bring in more talented individuals from outside.
그는 또 행정 절차를 더 간소화하고, 출연연을 더 개방적으로 바꿔야 한다고 조언했다. 김 단장은 연구단장으로 입사하는 과정에서 대학 입학증명서를 내라는 요구를 받았다고 말했다. 그는 “단장으로 영입하는 건 LG화학 시절부터 내가 쌓아온 경력을 보고 판단한 것일 텐데, 뜬금없이 대학 입학증명서가 있어야 입사할 수 있다는 말에 당황했다”며 “불필요한 행정 절차를 줄여야 외부에서 더 많은 인재를 데려올 수 있을 것”이라고 했다.