Choi Yun-beom

Choi says Korea Zinc will invest about $7.4 billion in a Tennessee integrated smelter (Project Crucible) to produce 13 critical metals, providing a non-China supply solution for roughly 11 of the US's critical minerals. He argues the project has US Department of Defense/Department of War backing, is located where an existing smelter and skilled workforce can be leveraged, and uses a compact proprietary Masterpiece design to cut operating and maintenance costs. Despite higher US capex, he expects ramp-up from 2029 and full operation by 2030 to deliver a quantum jump in sales, profit, and shareholder value, with attractive returns even under lower metal-price assumptions.