General Discussion Topics, page-85942

I dunno about that . Are you sure. I think the Prime Minister of Korea would disagree on that point - And I thinki Chile has had a ' Free Trade ' deal with the U.S since 2004....but the Koreans have yet to nut out one.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/10/120_337752.html

Copy paste the above link , and you'll find the Visit by the Korean Prime Minister I spoke of in my post yesterday. Here is an excerpt of what was the essence of the Trip.

" The MOU calls for research and development cooperation between the Korea Mine Rehabilitation and mineral Resources Corp. (KOMIR) and its Chilean counterpart in the supply of mineral resources, including lithium.
It is part of the country's efforts to deal with the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) by diversifying supply chains of key materials used in batteries.
The U.S. law gives tax credits to electric vehicles (EVs) produced in North America or containing batteries made of materials sourced from the U.S. It is feared to present disadvantages to Korean automakers such as Hyundai Motor and Kia, which sell EVs manufactured in Korea to the U.S. market.
However, Korean companies could receive subsidies if they use minerals from Chile, which signed a free trade deal with the U.S. The South American country is rich in mineral resources, ranking first in lithium reserves and second in mineral supply in the world. "