Chinese battery makers set to expand presence in Korean market

BYD's electric vehicles are on display during a press conference in Incheon, Jan. 16. Yonhap

Major Chinese battery manufacturers will participate in the 2025 InterBattery tech fair in Seoul next month in a bid to expand their presence in the Korean market amid escalating global trade tensions caused by U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist policies.

According to the event's organizer on Tuesday, BYD and EVE are among the 79 Chinese companies participating in the annual exhibition.

This is the first time the two companies will participate in InterBattery, although the number of Chinese firms participating in the event has grown gradually from 62 in 2024 and 24 in 2023. Despite the decreasing global demand for electric vehicles (EV), a record-high number of 646 companies will participate in this year's exhibition.

Last year, BYD and EVE were ranked second and ninth in EV global market share, respectively. BYD has also started selling low-priced electric passenger cars in Korea last month, following the establishment of its local subsidiary here.

"BYD has been deeply involved in the lithium-ion battery field for the past three decades, shipping over 5 billion lithium-ion batteries," InterBattery's organizer wrote on its website. "BYD offers customized cell and pack solutions with comprehensive design and manufacturing capabilities."

The size of BYD's exhibition booth, however, will be just 36 square meters, much smaller than those of Korea's three leading battery manufacturers. CATL, another Chinese battery maker with a large global market share, will also be absent from InterBattery again this year.

LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI will each open a 540-square-meter exhibition booth, while SK On will display its technologies on a 450-square-meter booth. POSCO Future M, the battery materials unit of the steelmaking group, will also open a larger booth than last year's.

Right next to BYD's spot will be large-sized booths of LG Chem and Lotte Chemical, both of which will join the Interbattery tech fair for the first time.

Senior executives of the top three Korean battery manufacturers will also each introduce their companies' global strategies through a 30-minute keynote speech during the Battery Conference, which will be held on the sidelines of InterBattery.