I would bet my bottom dollar that there was a palpable tension between the Korean Government and ASM which led to silence between KOMIR and ASM management. When the South Korean Government pushed through the metalisation plant with government subsidies to boot they must have been under the impression Dubbo would be online in 2 years (now). When HEC commenced their design work in early 2023, they quickly realised the complexity of the resource and that a two-year timeline was not achievable.
The South Koreans are now in a huge dilemma with the signing of the strongest partnership deal since the Cold war between Russia and North Korea. The South must heavily align itself with the US and Australia as a result, as China will not side with the US. Critical materials are now paramount in an environment of escalated military tensions.
What we might be seeing is a thawing of those previous disputes for the greater good.
If we were to get some good news from South Korea it would be likely coming very soon.
ASM Price at posting:
78.5¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
A personalised tool to help users track selected stocks. Delivering real-time notifications on price updates, announcements, and performance stats on each to help make informed investment decisions.
(20min delay)