Chairman of Korea Zinc Going to Davos: "Will Take the Opportunity to Understand Energy Transition and US Policy Directions"

Chairman Choi Yoon-beom Attends for the First Time Since Founding... Departs on the 14th

Choi Yoon-beom, chairman of Korea Zinc, will depart on the 14th to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF, Davos Forum) for the first time since its founding in 1974.

On the 12th, Chairman Choi expressed his thoughts on participating in the Davos Forum, saying, "I will take this opportunity to properly understand the global economic trends, the movements of various countries due to energy transition, and the policy directions of the United States through exchanges with key government officials, global business leaders, and heads of international organizations."

Korea Zinc, known as a reclusive company with little public information, has decided to reveal its presence at global events starting with the Davos Forum. A Korea Zinc official said, "Korea Zinc is growing as a global company," adding, "Through this Davos Forum, we will build networks with global business leaders, as well as heads of state, ministers, and senior officials of international organizations from various countries, while also seeking new business opportunities."

Chairman Choi will participate in the official sessions of the Davos Forum held in Switzerland from the 15th to the 19th under the theme of 'Rebuilding Trust.' He plans to review the global business environment and hold a series of high-level meetings to discuss securing critical minerals and sustainable management.

Chairman Choi intends to express his view that to diversify the overly concentrated supply chain of critical minerals, support should be provided for areas where private companies can focus investments through policy coordination and cooperation among governments.

On the morning of the 18th, he will meet with POSCO and CEOs of global companies to discuss critical minerals and mining-related businesses.

Chairman Choi will also attend an 'exchange forum' where he will meet business leaders including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, and HD Hyundai Vice Chairman Jung Ki-sun.

Starting this year, Chairman Choi plans to attend the Davos Forum annually. He has also set a plan to appear as a session presenter in 2026-2027, when the electric vehicle market is expected to regain momentum after a slowdown in demand.

Choi Yoon-beom, Chairman of Korea Zinc. Photo by Korea Zinc

Korea Zinc officially joined the Davos Forum as a partner member in March last year.

Korea Zinc, a non-ferrous metal smelting company, is the world's largest zinc producer, with 70-80% of its zinc production exported.

In addition to its core smelting business, Korea Zinc is aggressively expanding into new businesses such as secondary battery materials and hydrogen. The company has set a goal to raise new business sales to the level of its existing core smelting business and achieve annual sales of 25.3 trillion won.

In September last year, Korea Zinc reorganized its structure by establishing the ‘TD (Troika Drive) Business Division’ dedicated to new businesses and the ‘Smelting Business Division’ overseeing the existing smelting business, creating a three-president system managing ‘new business - existing business - sustainable management’ respectively.

Earlier, in 2021, Chairman Choi declared Troika Drive management by designating three new growth engines: ▲secondary battery materials industry ▲renewable energy and green hydrogen ▲recycling and resource circulation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.