National Mold & Die Industry Support Organizations Gather in One Place… Discussing Responses to Industry Issues and Strengthening Cooperation Systems Yong-moon Shin Elected as Inaugural Chairman; Council Operations Begin in Earnest

The Korean mold and die industry has established a nationwide cooperation system and initiated a joint response to combat complex domestic and international crises, including a prolonged economic recession, an influx of low-priced Chinese molds, and tightening U.S. tariffs.

KODMIC announced that it held the 'National Mold & Die Industry Support Organization Council' on Thursday, April 30. During the meeting, participating nationwide cooperatives, associations, and support organizations discussed operational plans and joint cooperation strategies to overcome the industry crisis and strengthen competitiveness.

A total of 12 organizations participated in this council, including KODMIC, as well as Gyeongnam, Daegu-Gyeongbuk, Busan-Gyeongnam, Bucheon, and Ulsan regional die & mold cooperatives, the Korea Mold & Die Industry Promotion Association, Jeonbuk Mold Industry Association, Korea Society for Die & Mold Engineering, Korea Professional Engineers Association for Die & Mold, Korea Mold & Die Technology Center, and the National Center for Enterprise Key Technology (Root Industry).

The establishment of this council was driven by the growing need for a unified response system as the domestic mold and die industry faces multi-dimensional crises, such as simultaneous drops in production and domestic demand, expanding overseas relocation, the encroachment of low-priced Chinese products into the domestic market, and heightened U.S. tariffs.

Recently, the domestic mold and die industry has seen a continuous decline in production and exports due to weak post-pandemic demand recovery, global supply chain crises, strengthening protectionism, and increasing imports of Chinese molds. Furthermore, the base for domestic mold orders is weakening due to component modularization, an industry shift toward IT and software, and increased local procurement abroad.

Analysis also revealed that the U.S. high-tariff policy and global supply chain restructuring are accelerating the relocation of production bases overseas and increasing procurement from low-cost countries. This is worsening difficulties not only for the mold industry itself but across all downstream industries, including materials, components, and outsourced processing.

Key Focus Areas of the Council To jointly respond to these industrial crises, the council has agreed to pursue the following initiatives:

- Discussing current issues and bottlenecks in the mold and die industry.

- Making joint policy and support recommendations to the government.

- Formulating win-win cooperation responses with large conglomerates and major buyers.

- Developing strategies to secure future competitiveness for the industry.

- Sharing key projects by organization and discovering joint business opportunities.

Meanwhile, at the meeting, KODMIC Chairman Yong-moon Shin was elected as the inaugural Chairman to lead the council. Gyu-taek Lee, Chairman of the Korea Mold & Die Industry Promotion Association, and Gil-sang Yoon, Director of the Korea Mold & Die Technology Center, were appointed as Vice Chairmen.

At the event, KODMIC Chairman Yong-moon Shin emphasized:

The overall crisis in the mold and die industry is deepening due to the influx of low-priced Chinese molds, global supply chain restructuring, and strengthened U.S. tariffs. Since individual companies or organizations face limits in their responses, it is of paramount importance that nationwide mold support organizations speak with one voice and establish a joint response system.

He further added, "Molds and dies are a core foundational industry that determines the competitiveness of the overall manufacturing sector, including automobiles, semiconductors, home appliances, and aerospace. We will raise awareness of the mold industry and continue to strengthen this cooperation system moving forward."