Koo Kwang-mo, chairman of South Korea’s LG Group, is stepping up efforts to secure new growth engines in the Global South, with recent visits to key production sites in Indonesia and India.

According to LG Group on Monday, Koo visited Indonesia earlier this month and toured the HLI Green Power plant, a joint battery venture between LG Energy Solution Ltd. and Hyundai Motor Group.

Located in the Karawang New Industry City, the facility is a key site capable of producing 10 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery cells annually.

Since starting mass production in April 2024, the plant has rapidly stabilized, achieving a yield rate of 96 percent within just four months.

“We must build LG’s unique competitive edge that sets us apart from our rivals,” Koo said, while inspecting major production lines.

He also left a handwritten message on a battery cell produced there – “May this battery cell become the heart of future mobility.”

Indonesia, with the world’s fourth-largest population and the largest reserves and production of nickel, is rapidly gaining strategic importance in the global battery supply chain.

During this trip, Koo also oversaw the entire value chain of LG’s home appliance business.

He visited LG Electronics’ production and R&D subsidiaries in Cibitung as well as local retail stores to inspect the complete local cycle from production to development and sales.

LG Electronics manufactures TVs, monitors, and digital signage products at its Cibitung plant, while refrigerators and air conditioners are produced in nearby Tangerang.

In 2023, LG established a new R&D corporation near Cibitung to handle everything locally from product planning to manufacturing.

Koo reviewed the unmanned TV production facilities and assessed Indonesia’s potential role in LG’s global R&D strategy.

Since the beginning of this year, LG Group has intensified its on-site management approach, with Koo personally reviewing mid-to-long term investment plans and strategies of major affiliates.

Following his February visit to India and his June trip to Indonesia, LG executives have also been actively visiting key investment sites in the battery, semiconductor, and display sectors to evaluate business feasibility and global demand shifts.

The move reflects the conglomerate’s increasing focus on the Global South — a bloc of rapidly growing economies across Asia, Africa, and South America.

The markets are becoming critical hubs for both production and consumption, driven by favorable demographics and rising incomes.

“It’s important to respond to the intensifying competition today, but we also need to think about what preparations will be necessary to survive five years from now,” Koo said. “Let’s focus on making strategic choices and prioritizations to secure differentiated competitiveness.”

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