Guan Cha Zhe Wang·2026-02-22 10:27Core Insights - The technology gap between South Korea and China in key strategic sectors is widening, particularly in the secondary battery field, where China has overtaken South Korea as of 2024 [1][3] - South Korea's overall technology level is assessed at 82.8% compared to the United States, with a significant gap of 2.8 years, while the gap with China has increased to 0.7 years [3] Group 1: Technology Assessment - In the secondary battery sector, South Korea was leading by 0.9 years in 2022 but has fallen behind China by 0.2 years in 2024 [1] - The evaluation covered 136 core technologies across 11 sectors, analyzing papers and patents from South Korea, China, Japan, Europe, and the United States [1] - South Korea's semiconductor and display sectors have also seen a decline, with a lag of 0.7 years behind the U.S. and 0.8 years behind China as of 2024 [3] Group 2: Market Dynamics - The global market share of South Korean electric vehicle battery manufacturers has decreased from 35% in 2020 to 23% in 2023, with projections of further decline to 16% by October 2025 [5] - Despite the growth in global electric vehicle sales, the growth rate is expected to drop significantly from 25%-28% to around 15% by 2025 [4] - South Korean battery companies are facing intense competition from Chinese firms like CATL and BYD, which have a substantial market presence [5] Group 3: Domestic Market Disparities - The domestic market for South Korean secondary batteries is only about 2% of China's, with the energy storage market at approximately 1% [6] - South Korean companies have over 90% of their production facilities located overseas, while Chinese firms like CATL and BYD have about 97% of their capacity concentrated domestically [6] - The market share of South Korean companies in Europe has dropped from over 60% in 2022 to below 40% recently due to strong competition from Chinese firms [6] Group 4: Material Dependency - South Korean battery manufacturers are heavily reliant on China for core materials that constitute 60% of secondary battery costs, with Chinese companies controlling around 80% of the global market for these materials [7]