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Korea Zinc to build $7.4 billion smelter in US

By Thomson Reuters Dec 15, 2025 | 2:48 AM

SEOUL, Dec 15 (Reuters) – Korea Zinc said on Monday that it ‍plans to build a smelter to produce key metals and minerals in the United States in ‌a project that would ‌cost $7.4 billion.

Korea Zinc said the U.S. government asked the company to build the facilities, ​to respond to the expansion of global ‍supply chain ​risks and the ​increasing demand for non-ferrous metals ‍and strategic minerals in the United States.

The smelter plans to produce major non-ferrous metals such ‍as zinc, lead, and copper, precious metals such as gold ‍and ‍silver, and strategic ​minerals such as ​antimony, ⁠germanium, and gallium. ‌It will start commercial operations gradually in 2027, it said.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Heejin KimEditing by Ed ⁠Davies)