Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 31, 2026

EcoPro

EcoPro (Korean: 에코프로) is a battery materials company headquartered in Cheongju, South Korea. It was established in October 1998.

Last revised
May 31, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
442 w
Citations
12
Source
Wikipedia ↗
EcoPro
Native name
에코프로
Founded1998
FounderLee Dong-chae
Headquarters587-40, Gwahang Industrial 2-ro, Ochang-eup, Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, Republic of Korea
Key people
Ho-Jun Song (CEO)
Number of employees
3,570 (2025)
Websiteecopro.co.kr/eng

EcoPro (Korean: 에코프로) is a battery materials company headquartered in Cheongju, South Korea. It was established in October 1998.1

History

In 2015, Sony signed a supply contract for EcoPro's cathode materials. Murata Manufacturing continued the relationship when it purchased Sony's battery division in 2017.23

In January 2022, a worker died in a fire at EcoPro BM's Cheongju, South Korea facility.4 Lee Dong-chae, founder and Chairman of EcoPro Group, resigned as CEO in March after insider trading allegations and the factory fire death.5

EcoPro EM, a joint venture between Samsung SDI and EcoPro BM, completed a cathode factory in Pohang, South Korea in October 2022.67

In August 2023, Ford announced its partnership with SK On and EcoPro BM to build a battery materials facility in Bécancour, Quebec, Canada for its electric vehicles.8 The facility's construction has been halted repeatedly for design changes.9

The former Chairman Lee was "named an executive adviser on the board" after he was granted a presidential pardon in August 2024 for his prison sentence.10

In November 2025, EcoPro completed its cathode materials factory in Debrecen, Hungary.1112

References

References

  1. "History". EcoPro. Archived from the original on 2026-03-13. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  2. Byun, Hye-jin (2023-08-31). "EcoPro touts 10-year battery materials partnership with Sony". THE INVESTOR. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  3. Kim, Jae-heun (2023-08-30). "EcoPro maintains 10-year partnership with Sony, Murata Manufacturing - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  4. 정주원 (2022-01-21). "(2nd LD) One dead, 3 injured in fire at battery materials factory | Yonhap News Agency". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  5. Park, Jae-hyuk (2022-03-09). "Scandal-ridden EcoPro founder steps down from management - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  6. Baek, Byung-yeul (2022-10-23). "Samsung SDI seeks to lead battery biz with new cathode plant - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  7. Son, Ji-hyoung (2022-10-21). "EcoPro-Samsung SDI JV builds world's largest cathode active material plant". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  8. Scherer, Steve (August 17, 2023). "Ford, partners pick Canada for $900 mln battery materials plant". Reuters.
  9. Moon, Joon-hyun (2024-08-19). "Ford halts Quebec battery plant project with SK, EcoPro". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  10. Byun, Hye-jin (2024-09-10). "EcoPro founder returns to work, tasked with surviving EV chasm". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  11. Nam, Hyun-woo (2025-11-30). "EcoPro to expedite European market entry with Hungarian plant - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  12. Kan, Hyeong-woo (2025-11-30). "EcoPro boosts global footprint with new Hungary plant". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
External links