[Gyeongju APEC] Korea Zinc Chairman Yoonbeom Choi: "Building a Secure Supply Chain... Creating a Successful Korea-U.S. Cooperation Model"

Korea Zinc Emerges as a Global Strategic Minerals Hub

Yoonbeom Choi, Chairman of Korea Zinc, attended the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Roundtable held on the afternoon of the 29th at the Hwarang Hall of the Gyeongju Arts Center in Gyeongbuk, Gyeongju. At the event, he stated, "Korea Zinc has alternatives to address the challenges surrounding strategic minerals," and expressed his ambition by saying, "We will build a stable supply chain for strategic minerals and create a successful economic security model for both Korea and the United States."

Yoonbeom Choi, Chairman of Korea Zinc, attended the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Roundtable held on the afternoon of the 29th at the Hwarang Hall of the Gyeongju Arts Center in Gyeongbuk. Korea Zinc

The main topics of this APEC CEO Roundtable included artificial intelligence (AI), aerospace and defense industries, strategic minerals, shipbuilding, and energy. At the event, Chairman Choi explained the importance of Korea-U.S. cooperation in the field of strategic minerals to key government officials and business leaders from both countries. He also highlighted the significance and role of Korea Zinc as Korea's leading strategic mineral production base and as a global hub for strategic minerals.

Chairman Choi remarked, "Today, as we face the reality of China weaponizing strategic minerals, we realize that the golden age of free markets and free trade will not easily return." He continued, "While this is regrettable, it is also an opportunity for the United States and its allies to strengthen cooperation and build more robust supply chains." He added, "For over 50 years, Korea Zinc has established a supply chain independent of China and has secured global leadership in the non-ferrous metals sector. I believe Korea Zinc is almost the only viable alternative for Korea and the United States to jointly address the challenges of strategic minerals. With a sense of mission, we will address this task with utmost seriousness."

Additionally, Chairman Choi stated, "Korea Zinc is creating a desirable cooperation model in the essential strategic minerals sector for the U.S. defense industry, such as by signing a memorandum of understanding with Lockheed Martin and expanding antimony exports to the United States." He emphasized, "Going forward, we will leverage our world-class refining technology to establish a stable, transparent, and secure supply chain, thereby contributing to a successful economic security model between Korea and the United States and further strengthening our alliance."

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