Yeah it's sad state of affairs, considering all the momentum ASM...

Yeah it's sad state of affairs, considering all the momentum ASM once had. I want to know what happened with South Korea. It seems like a switch flipped and the relationship went cold. This article was posted in the media thread, and if it is an accurate summary it suggests South Korea is still looking for critical minerals (I think the writer meant materials), so was it business or personal? Woodall left, and Frank Moon left and then tried to get on the board of some South Korean company that wanted to enter the rare earth business (IIRC there was a non-compete clause in his contract with ASM that prevented it). The Hyundai relationship seems to be on hold, too, although IMO it's sensible to wait until there are some firm commitments to finance Dubbo, which may never happen, before proceeding any further with EPCD.

Anyway, I'm not sure what happened but in general I don't think it was wise having someone with a billionaire-sized ego, who is used to getting their way and being surrounded by yes men, negotiating on behalf of ASM.