South Korea

中, LFP 덤핑 금지한다는데…K배터리 수혜 받나

ZD Net Korea | Local Language | News | Dec. 3, 2025 | Regulation

China is planning to regulate low-price competition in its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery market by introducing a "Notice on Reference to China LFP Cost Index and Regulation of Industry Development." The China Chemical and Physical Power Industry Association will calculate a monthly industry average cost based on company-submitted data, encouraging companies to avoid dumping prices below certain levels. Currently, the average price for Chinese-made LFP batteries is about $50 per kWh, significantly lower than lithium-ion batteries priced at approximately $115 per kWh.

The Chinese government is addressing overheated competition in the battery industry by enhancing regulatory supervision, monitoring production capacity, and guiding companies toward reasonable production planning and systematic overseas expansion. Similar interventions have been applied in other sectors with supply overcapacity, such as solar panels and electric vehicles, and are expected to expand to the battery sector. Additionally, support measures like EV purchase tax relief are being reduced, and industry payment terms to subcontractors are being shortened to combat low-price competition and encourage restructuring.

This move is seen as potentially beneficial for South Korea's battery industry, which has faced intense cost pressures competing with Chinese companies' low prices. The regulation could help normalize LFP battery prices, partially leveling the playing field. Industry experts believe that even as guidelines, government efforts to curb dumping will influence domestic companies, though the impact on Chinese manufacturers' overseas subsidiaries remains uncertain.

베트남의 2026년 목표 '10% 성장', 시스템 전환이 답이다 [데이비드김의 블라인드 스팟]

Hankyung | Local Language | News | Dec. 3, 2025 | UndeterminedEconomic Growth

Vietnam has set an ambitious target of 10% GDP growth for 2026, alongside achieving a per capita income of $5,400–$5,500 and controlling inflation at 4.5%. This goal significantly surpasses the expected 8% growth for 2025. The government plans to drive growth through major infrastructure projects and the promotion of high value-added sectors like artificial intelligence and semiconductors. However, concerns remain about the sustainability of growth under the current economic model, with risks stemming from high export dependence and delays in public investment disbursement, which historically remains low.

Looking at China and Korea’s past growth trajectories offers lessons. China achieved nearly 10% average growth between 1990 and 2010, but faced declining investment efficiency due to overinvestment and inefficient capital allocation, especially in state-owned enterprises. Korea’s growth averaged 8.9% from 1961 to 1980, propelled by a focused strategy of selection and concentration on key industries over time, supported by coordinated government policy, targeted capital allocation, rural infrastructure modernization, and investments in education.

Vietnam currently invests heavily in infrastructure relative to GDP, with estimates ranging from 6% to over 10%, yet its capital-output ratio stands at 5.0—higher than comparable Asian countries—indicating low investment efficiency. Public investment, primarily funded by public budgets, suffers from corruption, inadequate project justification, and execution inefficiencies, particularly at the local government level. Examples include rushed projects like the newly opened Tan Son Nhat Airport Terminal 3, which revealed quality issues due to a focus on speed.

Vietnam’s challenges contrast with China’s scale-driven growth and Korea’s strategic industrial policy. Vietnam lacks systems for transparent project selection, monitoring of returns on investment, and effective coordination between government agencies. To achieve the 10% growth target, Vietnam must redesign its investment efficiency system by enforcing mandatory economic feasibility analyses, transparent bidding, and expanding public-private partnerships to attract private capital. It should also implement a Korean-style approach by selecting key industries—such as AI, semiconductors, and greentech—and supporting them through R&D, tax incentives, workforce training, and global partnerships while fostering domestic champions with proprietary brands and technology.

Lastly, building institutional trust through stronger property rights, anti-corruption efforts, law enforcement, and administrative reforms is critical to sustained growth. Recent measures like establishing national and local venture capital funds and enabling crowdfunding within the International Financial Center are positive steps, but their success depends on transparency and execution speed. The article concludes that Vietnam’s 10% growth target is feasible only through fundamental systemic reforms rather than merely increasing inputs.

Yonhap | English | News | Dec. 3, 2025 | Accidents

Family members of victims from the December 2024 Jeju Air plane crash protested on December 1, 2025, by shaving their heads to express their distrust in the government's interim investigation results. The crash, which occurred at Muan International Airport, resulted in 179 deaths. The protest took place outside the presidential office in central Seoul as the transport ministry's investigation committee prepared to hold a two-day hearing to announce interim findings.

The families and affiliated civic groups accused the committee of a lack of transparency, criticizing it for conducting a "self-investigation" that blocked information. They demanded an independent investigation led by a body under the prime minister instead of one under the transport ministry, which oversees aviation policy, arguing this presents a conflict of interest. During the protest, several participants clashed with police and attempted to enter the presidential office to meet President Lee Jae Myung. The group plans further overnight rallies until the day of the hearing.