China Battery Emergency... LG Energy Solution's 'Patent Barrier' / "It's Not Because of EVs!" The Real Reason the US Blocks Chinese Batteries for National Security (Secondary Batteries) Yoon Seok-cheon, Critic

Summary

Yoon Seok-cheon, an economic critic, argues that U.S. battery security policy is now explicitly excluding Chinese batteries, which structurally favors Korean battery makers and their U.S. joint ventures. He highlights LG Energy Solution's escalating patent war against Chinese battery makers as a Qualcomm-like moat, and explains why high-density ternary/NCM batteries are essential for robots, physical AI, drones, and the eventual EV shift back from LFP. He also sees POSCO Future M as cost-competitive in LFP cathodes due to POSCO Group's vertical integration, while noting robot battery demand is still too small to matter near term.

• U.S. treats batteries and battery minerals as strategic security assets, effectively excluding Chinese batteries from North America.
• Korean battery makers with U.S. JVs are positioned to gain North America share because Washington cannot build a full value chain alone.
• LG Energy Solution is expanding patent litigation in Europe and the U.S. against Chinese makers and OEMs, using ITC import ban risk and royalty settlements.
• High-output applications such as humanoid robots, drones, and physical AI need high-density ternary/NCM batteries rather than LFP.
• Ultra-high nickel, single-crystal, coated NCM cathodes are the required path to solid-state batteries, favoring Korean process know-how.
• POSCO Future M's 190,000-ton LFP cathode contract has a long-term cost edge from POSCO Group's internal lithium/phosphate/upstream value chain.
• Current humanoid robot battery demand is tiny, but it could become explosive once robots are deployed at scale.
• Chinese battery makers face exclusion, patent, import-ban, and indemnity risks that erode their low-price advantage.