South Korean makers of electric vehicle(EV) batteries saw double-digit growth while the global EV battery market contracted more than 20 percent due to COVID-19 in the first half of the year. 

According to market tracker, SNE Research, on Monday, global EV battery usage reached 42-point-six gigawatt hours in the first half, or down 23 percent from the same period last year.  

The drop happened after demand for EVs slipped in major economies, including the U.S. and China, due to the economic slowdown sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

While China and Japan saw their market shares in the EV battery market shrink, South Korea’s top three battery makers saw sharp growth during the January to June period.  

LG Chem saw its cumulative market share stand at 24-point-six percent, ranking first in terms of such shares for the first time. It’s an 82-point-eight percent increase from last year. 

Samsung SDI carved out six percent of market shares - up 34-point-nine percent - coming in fourth, while SK Innovation accounted for three-point-nine percent to rank sixth. Its shares rose by 66 percent.