Miners sign critical mineral deals with South Korea
AFR 5:40pm 15 Dec

Australian rare earth producers jostling to rival China’s global dominance of critical minerals have inked deals to turbocharge supply of these key materials to South Korea’s tech sector after a meeting with South Korea’s President in Sydney.

During the talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday, Australian Strategic Minerals signed a deal with the Korean Mine Rehabilitation and Resource Corporation (KOMIR), laying the groundwork for the ASX-listed company’s South Korean processing plant to start production of minerals for customers like Samsung and LG.

Hours later, Queensland Pacific Metals, which has offtake agreements for nickel and cobalt with its investors South Korea’s POSCO and LG Chem, scored the support of Export Finance Australia for its $1 billion-odd battery metals project in Townsville.