From third from right: Kim Woo-tae, head of safety management at LS Cable & System; Lee Sang-ho, head of shared growth management at LS Cable & System; Korea Future Materials CEO Jeon Ik-soo; Kim Jong-hoon, vice governor for economic affairs of North Jeolla Province; and Kim Young-min, vice mayor of Gunsan and other officials pose for a photo at the completion ceremony for Korea Future Materials’ Gunsan plant in North Jeolla Province on Tuesday. (LS Cable & System)
From third from right: Kim Woo-tae, head of safety management at LS Cable & System; Lee Sang-ho, head of shared growth management at LS Cable & System; Korea Future Materials CEO Jeon Ik-soo; Kim Jong-hoon, vice governor for economic affairs of North Jeolla Province; and Kim Young-min, vice mayor of Gunsan and other officials pose for a photo at the completion ceremony for Korea Future Materials’ Gunsan plant in North Jeolla Province on Tuesday. (LS Cable & System)

LS Cable & System said Tuesday that its subsidiary Korea Future Materials has completed construction and opened an eco-friendly copper materials plant in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, strengthening its competitiveness in the global cable and battery supply chain.

Korea Future Materials’ Gunsan facility has recently begun producing a range of eco-friendly advanced materials, including recycled copper, Cuflake for copper foil applications, oxygen-free copper and copper alloys.

Recycled copper is produced by recovering copper from discarded cables and other waste materials, reducing carbon emissions by up to 80 percent compared with conventional mining methods. LS Cable expects the material to sharpen its competitive edge in the cable and battery markets in Europe and other developed countries as they tighten environmental and carbon emission standards.

Cuflake, developed by LS Cable as the world’s first eco-friendly raw material for copper foil, replaces conventional copper wire with copper flakes to streamline the manufacturing process. The company said the material lowers production costs and energy consumption while improving supply stability and environmental sustainability.

Through the subsidiary, LS Cable aims to build Korea’s first circular supply chain covering eco-friendly materials and cable production, while expanding its North American presence with affiliates including LS GreenLink, Gaon Cable, LS Eco Energy and LS Eco Advanced Materials. Korea Future Materials also looks to build a manufacturing facility near LS GreenLink’s operations in Virginia.

Established in 2023 after spinning off the recycled copper business from LS Cable’s materials division, Korea Future Materials inherits more than six decades of copper processing expertise from its parent company.

Korea Future Materials CEO Jeon Ik-soo stated, “We will continue expanding our eco-friendly resource recycling business and reinforcing our capabilities to supply high-value-added materials essential for the electrification era.”


hyejin2@heraldcorp.com