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Rare metals such as 'lithium' are required to make electric vehicle batteries, and Korea must import almost all of these rare metals. Securing the quantity is so important that the Korean government has come up with related measures, but we are selling overseas mines that contain rare metals that we have invested in.
Correspondent Han Sang-woo.
<Reporter> As the
demand for rare metals surged, international prices jumped 2.5 times for lithium and nearly 50% for nickel and cobalt in one year.
Almost all of the core materials are imported, so there are concerns about supply and demand instability.
[Hong Nam-ki/Deputy Prime Minister of Economy: Supply is dependent on a specific country and there is a high possibility of resource weaponization, so strategic measures are essential.] The
government has doubled the stockpiles of 19 out of 35 rare metals for 100 days. We decided to secure up to 180 days' worth of items.
As we have competitiveness in technology for processing, processing and recycling rare metals, we plan to foster 100 companies in this field.
However, the overseas resource development projects that have already been invested in are being sold out, raising criticism that the policy is inconsistent.
Following the sale of the Chilean copper mine, the Mineral Resources Corporation plans to sell 17 mines invested in 12 countries around the world, including the Ambatovy mine in Madagascar, which can produce about 60,000 tons of nickel a year, the bituminous coal mine in Australia, and the copper mine in Panama. plan.
This is because the government task force set guidelines for the sale of overseas mines in order to relieve the 6 trillion won in debt of the Korea Minerals Corporation.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said that even if it sells shares in overseas mines, it will first sell them to domestic companies and minimize side effects such as signing long-term supply contracts.