Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announces used-battery pact

South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said it would sign a memorandum with the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment to coordinate used-battery policy and stabilize supplies of critical minerals.

Used batteries contain lithium, nickel and cobalt, which the Trade Ministry described as strategic resources for reinforcing the critical-mineral supply chain and national resource security.

The agreement centers on a unified battery-trading and history-management platform connecting the Trade Ministry's distribution-and-reuse system with the Climate Ministry's system for lifecycle greenhouse-gas assessment and recycling. The ministries also intend to align eligibility for seven materials under their recycled-material certification schemes. Production-certification documents will be linked for use in use-certification applications. The materials are lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, cobalt sulfate, nickel sulfate, manganese sulfate, mixed-metal precipitate and cathode active material.

Geum Han-seung, the Climate Ministry's first vice minister, said, "With electric-vehicle adoption expanding rapidly, building a system for circulating used batteries is a core task for achieving a sustainable circular economy."

The agreement calls for rules on the safe transport and storage of used batteries by distributors and improved management standards for recyclers. It also aims to preserve the work of collection centers that recover and sell batteries from electric vehicles registered through Dec. 31, 2020. The Used Battery Management and Industry Promotion Act was enacted on May 26, 2026, and is scheduled to take effect on May 27, 2027.

The ministries will plan joint research and development on reuse, recycling and making new batteries. They will also form a working-level consultative body co-chaired by the Trade Ministry's advanced-industry policy director and the Climate Ministry's resource-circulation bureau chief to identify additional areas of cooperation.

Mun Shin-hak, the Trade Ministry's vice minister, said, "Creating a robust ecosystem for used batteries is urgent if the battery industry is to become a sustainable industry of the future."