The Chemical Industry Innovation Alliance (the “Alliance”), launched to drive the chemical industry’s transition toward higher value-added and cleaner production, is now fully operational. On March 4, 2026, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) convened the Alliance’s general meeting at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), attended by around 150 participants from across the chemical industry ecosystem—including petrochemical companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), middle market enterprises (MMEs), demand-side companies, and research institutes.
The meeting marked the Alliance’s full-scale operations as the implementing platform for the “K-Chemical Next Generation Technology Innovation Roadmap 2030,” unveiled in late 2025 to support the petrochemical industry’s shift toward higher value-added products amid ongoing restructuring. Participants discussed the Alliance’s operating plan, the latest trends in large-scale R&D programs, R&D investment priorities among key demand-side companies, and an execution strategy for developing an R&D agenda under the Roadmap that links the entire chemical value chain—from feedstock to materials and applications.
During the meeting, major demand-side companies presented their R&D investment priorities to help shape a flagship project that will define the initiative’s identity. These inputs will serve as practical milestones, enabling chemical companies pursuing higher value-added and cleaner production to reduce uncertainty by incorporating market demand from the planning stage and to develop a demand-driven technology strategy.
Demand-side companies across key sectors—including Samsung Electronics, LG Energy Solution, Taihan Cable & Solution, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries—also shared their R&D strategies, which are expected to help chemical companies develop flagship projects that integrate the feedstock–materials–applications value chain, strengthen the technological capabilities of SMEs and MMEs in materials and applications, and drive innovation across the industry.
To drive tangible outcomes in the private sector, the government announced that it is preparing a large-scale R&D project under the Roadmap for the high-value and clean transition.
Song Hyeon-ju, Director General for Industrial Supply Chain Policy of MOTIR, stated that “while last year’s launch ceremony set our goals for chemical industry innovation, today’s meeting marks the first step toward implementation.” She added, “the government will provide large-scale R&D support to underpin high-value and clean transition if petrochemical companies move swiftly on restructuring through rigorous self-help efforts.” She also said MOTIR would “ensure strong policy support so that the flagship projects developed through the Alliance can become a new engine of growth for Korea’s chemical industry.”