LG Chem, SK Innovation CEOs meet to discuss legal dispute

The chief executive officers of LG Chem and SK Innovation, embroiled in a legal dispute over patent infringement issues and the poaching of talent, met Monday at a hotel in Seoul to seek some breakthroughs, the companies said.

LG Chem CEO Shin Hak-cheol and SK Innovation CEO Kim Jun reportedly exchanged views for over an hour and maintained their respective stances on the ongoing confrontation.

“Details of the talks cannot be revealed,” said an LG Chem official.

It has also not been revealed when or whether the two will meet again. 

In April, LG Chem filed a complaint against SK Innovation with the US International Trade Commission and the District Court of Delaware, accusing the newcomer to the battery industry of unfairly scouting as many as 76 former LG Chem engineers who had participated in a major electric battery project.

LG Chem demanded an official apology from SK Innovation for its hiring practices and sought to prevent a repeat of the incident along with an unconfirmed amount of damages.

SK Innovation refused to accept LG’s demands. Instead, the company sued LG Chem in the same US institutions earlier this month, alleging patent infringement.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com )