Yoonbeom Choi: "U.S. Smelter Aims to Meet New Demand... No Transfer of Onsan Production"

During Meeting with Ulsan Mayor: "Onsan Experts to Be Deployed to U.S. Smelter"
..."Next Year's Recruitment to Double"

Yoonbum Choi, Chairman of Korea Zinc, stated on December 17 that the construction of the smelter in Tennessee, United States, is to respond to new demand and not to transfer production volume from the Onsan Smelter.

On this day, Chairman Choi met with Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom at Ulsan City Hall and emphasized, "Concerns about the downsizing of the workforce and scale at the Onsan Smelter are unfounded," clarifying this point regarding the plan to build the smelter in the United States.

Chairman Choi also stressed that the construction of the U.S. smelter will serve as an opportunity to advance the Onsan Smelter. He added, "It will contribute to job creation in the Ulsan region and across the country, and our partner companies will also gain new business opportunities."

Yoonbum Choi, Chairman of Korea Zinc

He further explained that personnel from the Onsan Smelter, who possess core technologies in the non-ferrous metals sector, will be deployed for the engineering, construction, and operation of the U.S. smelter. Accordingly, the company plans to newly hire replacement personnel needed at the Onsan Smelter, and next year’s recruitment of new university graduates will be more than doubled compared to the original plan. In addition, as new facilities for germanium and gallium production are scheduled to be invested in by 2028, related hiring is also underway.

A Korea Zinc official stated, "The number of company employees has increased from 1,396 at the end of 2020 to 2,085 currently, with an annual growth rate of about 10%. This trend is expected to continue," adding, "As business expansion and investment increase, the number of employees at affiliates will also rise, contributing to regional employment growth."

Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom said, "I believe Korea Zinc’s construction of a smelter in the United States will create significant synergy with the Onsan Smelter. I hope the company will continue to grow as a global enterprise based in Ulsan."

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