Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) has signed an Industry–University Collaboration agreement with Seongil Himetal Co., Ltd. (Representative Lee Ki‑woong), Seongil Hitech Co., Ltd. (CEO Lee Kang‑myung), and others to foster interdisciplinary talent and revitalize Industry–University Collaboration.

Seongil Himetal Co., Ltd. is a specialized, integrated recycling company established to recover precious and valuable metals from industrial waste, recognized among the world’s leading firms in this field. It began with electronic industry waste and has since expanded its scope to petrochemical industry waste.

Seongil Hitech Co., Ltd. was founded in 2000 and, beginning in 2017, specialized in secondary battery recycling, spinning off from Seongil Himetal Co., Ltd. The company is a leader in battery recycling, a core element of the circular economy in the electric vehicle era. It was the first in Korea to succeed in recovering primary materials from end‑of‑life lithium‑ion batteries and achieving mass production, leading the field of lithium‑ion battery recycling.

Under the agreement, the two organizations will conduct joint Industry–University Collaboration R&D and researcher exchanges, support solutions for technical challenges at industrial sites, and operate joint industry–university research and field training programs to cultivate professional and convergence talent.

They also pledged to jointly establish an Industry–University Collaboration platform to meet the needs of companies and students.

Representative Lee Ki‑woong said, "Through building a cooperation model with JBNU, we will go beyond operational cooperation and take the lead in realizing social value by responding swiftly to diversified customer demands—such as resource depletion from rapidly increasing consumption and waste issues—through technical collaboration that concentrates the expertise of both organizations. In particular, we will work harder and do our utmost so that our resource recycling technologies and experience can help constructively address the common challenges facing society."

CEO Lee Kang‑myung stated, "Through this agreement, we will cooperate to grow as a leading company in the secondary battery recycling sector and will make every effort to deliver tangible outcomes for regional development, including hiring outstanding local talent."

In response, President Kim Dong‑won said, "This agreement with Seongil Himetal Co., Ltd. and Seongil Hitech Co., Ltd. presents a remarkable opportunity to expand channels for waste and secondary battery recycling businesses related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and to advance the diversified activation of services such as lithium‑ion batteries, secondary batteries, and environmental protection." He added, "JBNU will actively utilize its research capabilities and resources to strive to establish a sustainable mutual cooperation system in the resource recycling market."