Critical Materials Forum Seoul 2026: Key Event Guide

• The Critical Materials Forum Seoul takes place on 26 October 2026 at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, South Korea.
• Hosted by Project Blue, the event is free to attend and focuses on the EV and lithium-ion battery supply chain, from raw materials to end-use markets.
• Confirmed speakers include representatives from Materium Strata, New Electric Partners, the Cobalt Institute and Project Blue’s own research team.
• The single-day agenda is built around “The Next Phase of Battery Markets,” covering how EVs, stationary energy storage and lithium-ion technologies are reshaping demand for critical materials.
• Registration is required despite the free format, with capacity limited.

Critical Materials Forum Seoul 2026: Event Overview

The Critical Materials Forum Seoul 2026 is a one-day industry event hosted by Project Blue, a UK-based critical minerals consultancy and research house. It runs on 26 October 2026 at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, South Korea, and is offered free of charge, though attendees must register in advance via Project Blue’s official event page. Seoul was chosen as one of Asia’s key technology and manufacturing centres, reflecting South Korea’s role as a battery cell and cathode manufacturing hub for the global EV supply chain.

The forum sits within a wider Project Blue events series held across multiple regions in 2026, including Perth, Shanghai and Santiago, each tailored to the critical materials markets most relevant to the host region. For South Korea’s rare earth import and supply risk position, an event of this kind adds to a limited calendar of dedicated critical materials gatherings in the country.

Agenda and Confirmed Speakers

The published agenda centres on a single themed session: “The Next Phase of Battery Markets,” examining how electric vehicles, stationary energy storage systems and lithium-ion technologies are reshaping demand, supply chains and critical materials requirements. This ties directly into the broader shift in rare earth demand from energy transition applications, where battery and EV-linked consumption is one of several growth vectors alongside wind and hydrogen technologies.

Confirmed speakers include David Abraham of Materium Strata, Ross Gregory of New Electric Partners, and Marina Demidova, Communications Manager at the Cobalt Institute. Project Blue’s own team is represented by David Merriman and Luke Allum. Project Blue has stated that further speakers will be announced ahead of the event.

Venue: Lotte Hotel Seoul

The forum is held at the Lotte Hotel Seoul, a five-star property in the Jung District dating to 1979 and long established as one of the city’s principal business and conference venues. The hotel offers dining, fitness and spa facilities alongside its event spaces, and its central Seoul location places it within easy reach of the city’s main business and transport hubs for delegates travelling from elsewhere in Asia-Pacific.

Why This Matters for the Critical Materials Supply Chain

Battery-linked demand is one of the fastest-growing pressure points on critical minerals markets, and events that bring raw material suppliers into direct contact with battery and EV value chain participants are increasingly where sourcing and pricing conversations happen outside of formal contracts. A one-day, free-to-attend forum lowers the barrier to that conversation considerably compared with the larger paid summits that dominate the Asia-Pacific critical minerals calendar. For readers tracking the broader picture, our rare earth events calendar tracks this and other confirmed 2026 conferences as dates are finalised.

Project Blue has not yet published a detailed agenda breakdown beyond the single confirmed session, and further speakers are still to be announced. This article will be updated as those details are released.