Moon visits SK's battery plant construction site in US

Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, listens to an employee of SK Innovation's electric vehicle battery factory as he visited the factory in Atlanta, the U.S., to tour on May 23. Yonhap

South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited a plant construction site of SK Innovation, the country's leading battery maker, in the United States on Saturday.

The facility in the state of Georgia is regarded as symbolizing close partnerships between the two countries in the electric vehicle (EV) battery sector.

The Joe Biden administration is pushing to secure stable supply chains in such high-tech industries as semiconductors and EV batteries.

SK is partnering with Ford Motor for a joint venture to manufacture EV battery cells.

Moon made a stopover in Atlanta for a visit to the site on his way back home following summit talks with Biden, during which they agreed to cooperate closely on the global supply chain issue.

He was accompanied by South Korea's Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp during the tour of the facility.

Once its construction is completed on the outskirts of Atlanta, the facility is expected to become a "successful cooperation model" between the two nations, according to Moon's office Cheong Wa Dae. (Yonhap)