LG’s battery business delivered South Korea’s biggest-ever initial public offering last week, helped by frenzied interest from millions of ordinary Koreans convinced that US-China tensions will drive global carmakers to its technology.

“It is the biggest news in the stock market. I really don’t want to miss out on an opportunity like this,” said Bae Sung-hoon, an office worker who subscribed to LG Energy Solution’s IPO. “The shares will go up, as electric vehicle batteries are one of the country’s most promising industries.”

The $10.8bn share sale gave the company a roughly $59bn valuation, behind only Samsung and SK Hynix in South Korea. A record 4.4m retail investors placed Won114tn ($95bn) in bids, ultimately taking home a quarter of shares sold.