KOREA INSTITUTE OF GEOSCIENCE AND MINERAL RESOURCES

A delegation from the Chilean mining sector, including Chilean Minister of Mining Ms. Aurora Williams and Chilean Ambassador to Korea Mr. Mathias Francke, visited the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources on June 12, 2024, to discuss technical cooperation to increase production of copper and lithium resources in Chile.

Chile is the largest copper producer and the largest reserves of lithium, a critical raw material for electric vehicle batteries. This visit was made to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in the critical minerals supply chain between the two countries, focusing on KIGAM's excellent eco-friendly lithium extraction technology.

KIGAM held a seminar on the full cycle of mineral resource technology including mineral resource exploration, recovery, and recycling, as well as groundwater utilization and management technology, and introduced related research facilities. The delegation watched a demonstration of mineral resource magnetic exploration using drones, and visited pilot plants for direct extraction of lithium and battery recycling technology.

Minister Ms. Aurora Williams showed great interest in KIGAM’s full-cycle exploration, development and utilization system for mineral resources and asked KIGAM to actively participate in technical cooperation, such as joint research necessary for Chile’s resource exploration and development in the future.