Most writing on used EV batteries assumes the reader already knows what “remanufacturing,” “reuse,” “recycling,” “safety certification,” “safety confirmation,” and “safety inspection” mean — and treats them as roughly interchangeable. They aren’t. Call a battery’s fate “reuse” and it enters the KC 10031 track. Call the same battery “remanufacturing” and it moves into the Motor Vehicle Management Act track instead. The word choice isn’t stylistic — it determines which law, which ministry, and which certification procedure applies. This piece is built to be looked up rather than read start to finish: a short entry for each term, with the law or standard it connects to. Where ARC Current has already covered a term in depth, the entry links there.
Words that describe a state
Used battery (사용후배터리) — The statutory term. Defined in Article 2 of the Act on the Management and Industrial Promotion of Used Batteries, promulgated 26 May 2026 and set to take effect 27 May 2027, it covers traction batteries in electric, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, electrically powered construction and agricultural machinery, and other energy-storage batteries specified by presidential decree — in each case, “a battery whose use has ended.” The law’s stated purpose is to treat these batteries as an industrial resource rather than waste, and the choice of “used battery” over “waste battery” tracks that framing.
Waste battery (폐배터리) — Widely used in industry and media, but not the formal term in the law above. That doesn’t make it baseless, though: an administrative rule the Ministry of Environment enacted in March 2021, the “Detailed Regulation on the Separation and Storage of Electric Vehicle Waste Batteries” (Ministry of Environment Notice No. 2021-46), uses exactly this phrase in the context of waste management. It isn’t wrong so much as it belongs to a different legal register than “used battery.”
Circulating resource (순환자원) — A status the Ministry of Environment designates by public notice under the Circular Economy Promotion Act. EV waste batteries are one of seven designated items, alongside waste paper and scrap iron. A battery free of flooding, fire, deformation, or damage — and posing no risk of hazardous leakage, fire, or explosion from cell damage — that is reused under the specified purposes, methods, and standards is not treated as waste. That status lets a business skip the waste-treatment-business permit otherwise required under the Wastes Control Act. → What to Check Before Reviewing a Reused-Battery Business in Korea
Words that describe a processing path
Remanufacturing — Replacing and repairing components to return a used battery to its original purpose: an EV traction battery. Governed jointly by the Used Battery Act and the amended Motor Vehicle Management Act (Act No. 21412, effective 1 July 2027), which routes it through a pre-removal performance assessment, parts-manufacturer registration, and a pre-distribution safety inspection, all under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Neither KC 62619 nor KC 10031 applies. → The Certification Path for Remanufactured Batteries
Reuse — Replacing and repairing components to reassemble a used battery for a different purpose, such as an ESS. Goes through KC 10031, the safety inspection regime under the Electrical Appliances and Consumer Products Safety Control Act. That standard’s own defined term for this act of reassembly is, notably, “재조립” (reassembly) — not “reuse.” → EV Battery Second Life: Why ESS Dominates
Recycling — Breaking a battery down to extract and recover raw materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt. Outside both certification tracks above; falls under a waste-treatment (recycling) business permit per Article 25 of the Wastes Control Act. Some processing methods still lack a legal standard and require a regulatory sandbox exemption.
Words for operators and the entities around them
Distribution operator (유통사업자) — The Used Battery Act splits used-battery operators into four registered categories — distribution, remanufacturing, reuse, and recycling — and requires each to register. A distribution operator is the one that distributes used batteries. This piece could not confirm the exact article number behind that registration duty against the statute’s text on Korea’s national legislation database as of writing, so none is cited here. Until the category takes legal effect on 27 May 2027, individual contracts with entities such as vehicle dismantling and recycling operators are the de facto supply route. → What to Check Before Reviewing a Reused-Battery Business in Korea
Remanufacturing operator (재제조사업자) — Manufactures or assembles used batteries into remanufactured batteries. Registered under the Used Battery Act and also folded into parts-manufacturer registration under Article 30-2(2) of the Motor Vehicle Management Act. → The Certification Path for Remanufactured Batteries
Reuse operator (재사용사업자) — Reuses a used battery for a different purpose. Must register with the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy from 27 May 2027; the facility and staffing requirements for that registration are still delegated to presidential decree and not yet finalized.
Recycling operator (재활용사업자) — Breaks down used batteries to extract and recover raw materials. Registered under the Used Battery Act, and separately subject to a waste-treatment (recycling) business permit under Article 25 of the Wastes Control Act.
Vehicle dismantling and recycling operator (자동차해체재활용업자) — Registered under Article 53 of the Motor Vehicle Management Act to handle scrapped vehicles. With the distribution-operator category not yet in effect, this is one of the actual channels used batteries reach the market through today.
Future Waste Resource Collection Center (미래폐자원 거점수거센터) — A public collection hub the Ministry of Environment and Korea Environment Corporation operate under Article 20-4 of the Act on Resource Circulation of Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Vehicles. It takes back batteries from EVs registered before 1 January 2021 that received a purchase subsidy, measures residual performance, and sells them to private buyers. → Ministries Sign Agreement to Unify Used Battery History Management and Certification
Performance assessment agent (성능평가대행자) — A role Article 35-14 of the Motor Vehicle Management Act creates. The Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport may delegate pre-removal performance assessments to such an agent — the Korea Transportation Safety Authority is the candidate discussed — but the designation itself, along with facility and equipment standards, remains delegated to ministerial ordinance. → The Certification Path for Remanufactured Batteries
Safety inspection body (안전성검사기관) — Performs the KC 10031 inspections of reused battery modules and systems. Designated by the National Technology Standards; the roster keeps expanding, so the current list is best checked against National Technology Standards notices rather than cited as fixed. → KC 10031: Overview and Practical Issues
Words that describe certification and inspection
KC 62619 — Formally “Safety of Industrial Lithium Secondary Batteries.” A Korea electrical-appliance safety standard covering new industrial lithium batteries: cells (subject to safety certification) and battery systems (subject to safety confirmation). Automotive traction batteries are excluded. → KC 62619: Scope and Issues in Applying It to Used Batteries
KC 10031 — Formally “Safety Requirements for Lithium Secondary Batteries for the Reuse of Used Batteries,” enacted 19 October 2023 as National Technology Standards Notice No. 2023-445. A separate track covering the safety inspection of “reused battery modules” and “reused battery systems” — used batteries reassembled for a different purpose. → KC 10031: Overview and Practical Issues
Pre-removal performance assessment — Introduced by Article 35-13 of the Motor Vehicle Management Act. The Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport assesses a battery before it’s removed from the vehicle, grading it into remanufacturing, reuse, or recycling based on performance, safety, and history. → The Certification Path for Remanufactured Batteries
Pre-distribution safety inspection — Introduced by Article 35-16 of the same act. Required before a vehicle carrying a remanufactured battery can be sold, or before an owner who has swapped in a remanufactured battery can drive the vehicle. Failing the inspection bars sale or operation.
Safety inspection (안전성검사) — The name of the inspection procedure that implements KC 10031. Grounded in Chapter 6-2 (“Electrical Appliances Subject to Safety Inspection”) of the Electrical Appliances and Consumer Products Safety Control Act, carried out by inspection bodies the National Technology Standards designates — KTL, KTC, Jeju Technopark, PMGrow, and Sysfia among them.
History management system (이력관리시스템) — There are two, separately. Article 35-18 of the Motor Vehicle Management Act lets (not requires) the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport build a system tracking a used battery’s production, performance-assessment results, and installation history as a remanufactured battery. Separately, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment agreed in August 2026 to build a “Battery Trading and History Management Platform,” a distinct project linking the two ministries’ existing information systems. → Ministries Sign Agreement to Unify Used Battery History Management and Certification
Battery Passport — Not a Korean scheme; an EU one. Mandatory from 18 February 2027 for EV, light-transport, and industrial (over 2 kWh) batteries placed on the EU market under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, with European Commission guidance laying out 71 data points across battery categories. → Europe’s SOH Disclosure Mandates Are Building a Battery Diagnostics Market
Recycled-content certification (재생원료 인증) — Two separate schemes: the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment’s recycled-material production certification, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s recycled-content-use certification. The former certifies that a recycled material was actually produced as such; the latter certifies how much of it ended up in a finished product. An August 2026 inter-ministerial agreement aligned the two schemes’ covered materials to seven items (lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, cobalt sulfate, nickel sulfate, manganese sulfate, mixed metal precipitate, and cathode active material) and agreed that production-certification paperwork can also serve use-certification filings. → Ministries Sign Agreement to Unify Used Battery History Management and Certification
Eco-label certification (환경표지 인증) — A Korean environmental-product label the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment certifies under Article 17 of the Act on the Promotion of Environmental Technology and Environmental Industry. A 2025 Ministry of Environment plan for used-battery circulation said reused-battery products would be added to the list of eco-label-eligible product categories, but whether that has actually been reflected in the governing notice (the eco-label target-product schedule) is not confirmed as of this writing.
Technical terms
SOH (State of Health) — A battery’s current maximum chargeable capacity expressed as a ratio to its original capacity. No single standardized definition; the resulting value shifts with measurement method and test conditions. → SOH Estimation Methods and Their Field Limits
BMS (Battery Management System) — Monitors cell voltage, current, and temperature, and controls charge/discharge. The hardware base for managing cell-to-cell variation and estimating SOH.
HVIL (High Voltage Interlock Loop) — A low-voltage signal loop that monitors whether a high-voltage circuit’s physical connections are intact. A disconnected connector or opened cover breaks the loop and trips an automatic shutdown. → The Structure and Purpose of EV Battery HVIL Interlock Circuits
Pack, module, cell — The battery’s structural units. A cell is the smallest electrochemical unit; a module groups several cells; a pack adds the BMS, cooling system, and wiring to make a complete assembly. KC 62619 and KC 10031 each regulate these units differently.
SOC (State of Charge) vs. SOH — SOC is the instantaneous ratio of charge currently held to rated capacity; SOH is how far that rated capacity itself has degraded from new. SOC rises and falls with every charge; SOH declines slowly over the battery’s service life.
RUL (Remaining Useful Life) — An estimate of how many cycles or how much time remain before a battery crosses a defined threshold, usually 80% SOH. No statutory definition — a term used in diagnostics and research literature.
Cell balancing — A BMS function that reduces voltage and state-of-charge variation among cells wired in series or parallel. Especially important for used batteries, where that variation tends to be wider.
Service plug — A manual disconnect that breaks the high-voltage circuit before a pack is serviced. It’s one of the points the HVIL loop runs through — pulling it breaks the loop and cuts high voltage. → The Structure and Purpose of EV Battery HVIL Interlock Circuits
Contactor — An electronically controlled switch (relay) that connects or disconnects the battery from the rest of the high-voltage circuit. It’s both what HVIL monitors and the component that actually opens when the loop breaks. → The Structure and Purpose of EV Battery HVIL Interlock Circuits
Traction battery (구동축전지) — A statutory term. Article 2 of the Motor Vehicle Management Act and several related regulations define it as “a battery, or a functionally equivalent electrical energy storage medium, that stores electrical energy for the purpose of propelling a vehicle.” It’s what this blog otherwise calls the “drive battery.”
Pairs that are easy to confuse
Reuse vs. remanufacturing — Both involve replacing and repairing components, but they send the battery to different destinations. Remanufacturing returns it to its original purpose (EV propulsion); reuse sends it to a different purpose (an ESS, for instance). That single distinction determines the entire applicable law and certification track: call it remanufacturing and it falls under the Motor Vehicle Management Act track (excluded from both KC 62619 and KC 10031); call it reuse and it falls under KC 10031 instead.
Safety certification vs. safety confirmation vs. safety inspection — All three involve getting something checked for safety, but the weight of the procedure differs sharply. Safety certification (KC 62619, cell level) requires passing product testing and a factory audit, plus ongoing post-market surveillance. Safety confirmation (KC 62619, module/pack level) ends once a designated test lab’s results are filed. Safety inspection is a separate procedure name entirely — it’s what KC 10031 calls the process, and it applies only when a used battery is being reused (reassembled).
Performance assessment vs. safety inspection — Both were created by the same Motor Vehicle Management Act amendment, but they happen at different points for different reasons. The pre-removal performance assessment grades a battery — remanufacturing, reuse, or recycling — before it comes out of the vehicle. The pre-distribution safety inspection checks the finished remanufactured battery right before it’s sold. Performance assessment comes first; safety inspection comes after.
SOC vs. SOH — Both are shown as percentages, which invites confusion, but they answer different questions. SOC asks “how full is it right now?” — an instantaneous value. SOH asks “how worn is it?” — a cumulative one. A SOC of 50% can become 100% with half a day of charging; a SOH of 50% doesn’t move no matter how much you charge it.
Distribution operator vs. vehicle dismantling and recycling operator — Both look like channels used batteries pass through, but they rest on different laws and different timelines. The vehicle dismantling and recycling operator is an existing registered scrap-vehicle business under the Motor Vehicle Management Act; the distribution operator is a new registration category the Used Battery Act creates starting 27 May 2027. Until the distribution-operator system takes effect, individual contracts with vehicle dismantling and recycling operators effectively stand in for it.
ARC’s observation
The pattern that runs through this list is that every fork in terminology carries a fork in jurisdiction. Call it “reuse” and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s electrical-safety framework (via the National Technology Standards) takes over; call it “remanufacturing” and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s motor vehicle framework does instead. The choice between “waste battery,” “used battery,” and “circulating resource” likewise decides whether the Wastes Control Act applies at all. The reason this blog has worked through certification paths one at a time is exactly this: change the word, and the procedure changes with it. Whether the boundaries between these terms sharpen further will depend on how the subordinate legislation still pending fills them in.
Reference: [Korea Ministry of Government Legislation] Act on the Management and Industrial Promotion of Used Batteries (promulgated 26 May 2026, effective 27 May 2027) (https://www.law.go.kr/%EB%B2%95%EB%A0%B9/%EC%82%AC%EC%9A%A9%ED%9B%84%EB%B0%B0%ED%84%B0%EB%A6%AC%EC%9D%98%EA%B4%80%EB%A6%AC%EB%B0%8F%EC%82%B0%EC%97%85%EC%9C%A1%EC%84%B1%EC%97%90%EA%B4%80%ED%95%9C%EB%B2%95%EB%A5%A0)
Reference: [Korea Ministry of Government Legislation] Motor Vehicle Management Act amendment (Act No. 21412, promulgated 27 Feb 2026, effective 1 Jul 2027 — new Articles 35-13 pre-removal performance assessment and 35-16 pre-distribution safety inspection) (https://law.go.kr/LSW/lsRvsRsnListP.do?lsId=001747&chrClsCd=010102&lsRvsGubun=all)
Reference: [Korea Ministry of Government Legislation] Administrative rule “Detailed Regulation on the Separation and Storage of Electric Vehicle Waste Batteries” (Ministry of Environment Notice No. 2021-46, enacted 8 Mar 2021) (https://www.law.go.kr/LSW/admRulLsInfoP.do?admRulSeq=2100000198712)
Reference: [Shin & Kim] “Seven items including EV waste batteries designated as ‘circulating resources,’ exempting them from waste regulation” (https://www.shinkim.com/kor/media/newsletter/2262)
Reference: [Korea National Technology Standards] “Electrical appliance safety standard KC 62619, Safety of industrial lithium secondary batteries” (https://www.kats.go.kr/cwsboard/board.do?mode=download&bid=155&cid=21073&filename=21073_201910251526580981.pdf)
Reference: [Korea Testing Laboratory, KTL] “Guide to the reused-battery safety inspection system, electrical appliance safety standard KC 10031” (Jan 2024) (https://customer.ktl.re.kr/afile/fileDownload/qUWmn)
Reference: [Korea Legal Times] “Key contents and implications of the Used Battery Act” (overview of operator categories and registration duties) (https://www.lawtimes.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=222505)
Reference: [Korea Ministry of Government Legislation] Motor Vehicle Management Act Article 53 (registration of vehicle dismantling and recycling businesses) (https://www.law.go.kr/LSW//lsLawLinkInfo.do?lsJoLnkSeq=1000723754&lsId=001747&chrClsCd=010202&print=print)
Reference: [Korea Policy Briefing] “Return your EV waste battery here now” (Future Waste Resource Collection Centers) (https://www.korea.kr/news/policyNewsView.do?newsId=148892369)
Reference: [Korea Ministry of Government Legislation] Act on Resource Circulation of Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Vehicles, Article 20-4 (establishment and operation of Future Waste Resource Collection Centers) (https://www.law.go.kr/LSW/lsInfoP.do?chrClsCd=010204&lsiSeq=106858)
Reference: [Korea Ministry of Government Legislation] Act on the Promotion of Environmental Technology and Environmental Industry, Article 17 (eco-label certification) (https://www.law.go.kr/%EB%B2%95%EB%A0%B9/%ED%99%98%EA%B2%BD%EA%B8%B0%EC%88%A0%EB%B0%8F%ED%99%98%EA%B2%BD%EC%82%B0%EC%97%85%EC%A7%80%EC%9B%90%EB%B2%95)
Reference: [Korea Ministry of Government Legislation] Motor Vehicle Management Act Article 2 (definitions) — traction battery (https://www.law.go.kr/LSW//lsLawLinkInfo.do?lsJoLnkSeq=1000189169&lsId=001747&chrClsCd=010202&print=print)