Gangwon Province Begins Full-Scale Production of World-Class High-Grade Tungsten with Completion of Sangdong Ore-Dressing Plant in Yeongwol

Gangwon Province Completes Yeongwol Sangdong Tungsten Ore-Dressing Plant
Initiating Localization of Key Resources for Semiconductors and Defense Industry
Yeongwol Sangdong Mine Reoperates as the "Center of Resource Security"
Annual Production of 2,300 Tons of Tungsten Concentrate Expected to Boost Regional Economy

Gangwon Province Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) announced on March 17 that a completion ceremony was held at the ore-dressing plant of Almonty Korea Tungsten Corporation located in Sangdong, Yeongwol.

A view of the Gangwon Provincial Government Building. Provided by Gangwon Province.

The ceremony was attended by Kim Jin-tae, Governor of Gangwon Province; Lewis Black, CEO of Almonty Korea Tungsten Corporation; Choi Myung-seo, Mayor of Yeongwol County; and Kim Gil-su, Provincial Assemblyman, among others.

Tungsten is one of 38 key national minerals and is a core resource used throughout strategic national industries such as semiconductors and the defense industry.

In particular, the Yeongwol tungsten mine is considered a high-grade mine with an average grade of 0.44%, which is about 2.5 times higher than the world average grade of 0.18–0.19%. Its estimated reserves amount to 58 million tons.

The ore-dressing plant, completed by the official ceremony, began civil engineering work in April 2024. With its completion, the plant will produce about 2,300 tons of tungsten concentrate annually with a grade of around 65%. Of this, 2,100 tons per year will initially be exported to the United States under contract.

If the plant is expanded in the future to include a refining facility, it is expected to enable the annual production of at least 4,000 tons of tungsten oxide. Domestic processing could also make it possible to produce tungsten oxide with a 99.9% oxidation rate.

Governor Kim Jin-tae stated, "It is deeply moving to hold a completion ceremony for a state-of-the-art ore-dressing plant at the Sangdong mine, which was once a barren field." He emphasized the importance of tungsten, saying, "Tungsten is an essential material for semiconductors and the defense industry. No matter how advanced the technology, without raw materials, industry cannot function."

He added, "Once the refining plant is completed and tungsten oxide is produced, Korea, as a semiconductor powerhouse, will be able to fully meet domestic demand."

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