Early Life
Lee Dong-chae was born on December 10, 1959, in Pohang, South Korea. He was raised in a modest family. After graduating from Daegu Commercial High School, he earned a degree in Business Administration from Yeungnam University.
Rise to Success
Lee started his career at Korea Housing Bank, and later worked at Samsung Electronics. He founded Korea Zeorum in 1998, which evolved into the EcoPro Group. EcoPro initially focused on environmental technologies, but Lee saw an opportunity in battery materials. The company began trading battery precursors in 2004, with this arm of the business growing significantly. EcoPro was listed on the KOSDAQ in 2007. By 2022, the company was a revenue powerhouse, experiencing a 275% revenue surge during the global EV boom.
Key Business Strategies
Lee focused on the secondary battery materials business, making EcoPro a leading firm on the KOSDAQ market. He expanded EcoPro's operations, including the establishment of EcoPro BM in 2016, to focus on battery materials, which drove significant infrastructure investments. EcoPro's partnerships, including a joint venture with Samsung SDI in 2020, enhanced supply chain reliability. Lee’s vision led to EcoPro BM becoming South Korea’s largest cathode producer.
Philanthropy
In December 2023, while serving his sentence, Lee announced a donation of approximately 100 billion KRW in family company shares to establish a public interest foundation for local culture, arts, and education in Pohang.
