The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) will host InterBattery 2026, Korea’s largest international battery exhibition, at COEX in Seoul from March 11 to 13, 2026. Now in its 14th year, the event will bring together 667 companies from Korea and abroad across the battery value chain—including Korea’s three major battery manufacturers as well as materials, parts, and equipment firms—to showcase the latest technologies and products.
The 2026 exhibition will be attended by governments, research institutes, and companies from 14 countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, China, Japan, and the Netherlands, further strengthening the event’s status as a global platform for cooperation and exchange. The program will also include discussions on Korea–U.S. cooperation on battery technologies for defense applications, business networking among Korean and German battery researchers, and supply-chain cooperation with Australia on critical minerals.
Amid short-term market changes in the battery industry, including slowing demand for electric vehicles, the exhibition will highlight energy storage systems (ESS) as a key alternative, with ESS growing rapidly alongside the expansion of renewable energy and the AI transition. Participants will discuss strategies for expanding ESS businesses and related technology trends. They will also examine market strategies to respond to changes in the global trade and regulatory environment, including U.S. tariff policies and the EU Battery Regulation.
The event will also highlight next-generation technologies expected to reshape the industry, including all-solid-state batteries, sodium batteries, and silicon anode materials. It will also spotlight key safety technologies, including thermal runaway mitigation, structural design, and materials innovation. In addition, the exhibition will explore battery applications in emerging industries such as defense, robotics, and urban air mobility (UAM), underscoring the role of batteries as a driver of new growth beyond their function as components.
This year’s event will go beyond technology displays to offer programs that strengthen business linkages across the battery industry. A procurement consultation program featuring purchasing managers from Korea’s three battery makers will help materials, parts, and equipment firms gain access to battery supply chains. IR pitching sessions with invited venture capital firms will also give startups opportunities to attract investment. In addition, a battery job fair will provide an all-in-one employment support package, including intensive one-on-one job mentoring.
At the opening ceremony, Vice Minister Moon Shin-hak of MOTIR described batteries as the “heart of advanced industries,” noting that “the industry is facing both challenges—such as slower EV demand and uncertainty in the global trade environment—and new opportunities from expanding demand and supply chain realignment,” and added that “the government will continue to support the industry so that K-batteries can maintain their leadership.” He stated, “We will stimulate downstream demand by expanding the ESS market and introducing a battery leasing system, while also pursuing a production tax credit for the battery sector to strengthen the domestic production base. In addition, we will build a battery triangle belt spanning critical minerals, materials, and mother factories to help position Korea as a global hub for battery manufacturing.”
Vice Minister Moon also said, “The government and industry will work as one team in responding to changes in the R&D landscape and shifts in major countries’ trade policies.”
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