Korea Zinc's production of lead, silver, and indium has been selected as 'World-Class Products' by the government. Antimony, a strategic mineral essential for the defense industry, has been named a 'Next-Generation World-Class Product.'

Korea Zinc announced on the 18th that it received certificates for World-Class Products and Next-Generation World-Class Products from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) at the '2025 World-Class Product Certification Ceremony' held at Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, Seoul.

The World-Class Product certification targets domestic company products with a global market share of 5% or more (ranked within the top 5 in market share). It selects products with an annual global market size of over USD 50 million (approximately KRW 73.3 billion), more than twice the domestic market, and annual exports of over USD 5 million (approximately KRW 7.3 billion). Various government-level supports are provided for the selected products.

Products from domestic companies with a three-year average annual export growth rate higher than the national average annual export growth rate, and likely to be recognized as World-Class Products within the next seven years, are selected as Next-Generation World-Class Products. In 2002, Korea Zinc's main product, zinc, was also selected as a World-Class Product. Products selected as World-Class Products undergo annual reviews to determine if they maintain their qualification, and Korea Zinc's zinc has maintained its World-Class Product status for over 20 years. With the addition of major metal products this time, Korea Zinc now holds a total of five World-Class Products, including next-generation products.

The industry evaluates this selection of World-Class Products as further proof of Korea Zinc's global competitiveness in leading the global non-ferrous metal market. According to Wood Mackenzie, as of last year, Korea Zinc's Onsan Refinery ranked first in the world in zinc and lead production. Korea Zinc also produces zinc through its Australian subsidiary, Sun Metals Corporation (SMC), supplying it globally.

Additionally, Korea Zinc produces 2,000 tons of silver annually. According to Mordor Intelligence, the global silver market is estimated to be about 36,000 tons this year. Korea Zinc holds a market share of around 5% in the global silver market. Notably, the silver products produced by Korea Zinc are 100% eco-friendly, recovered from smelting by-products. The production of indium, a strategic mineral, was recorded at 92 tons last year. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced that the global indium production last year was 1,080 tons. Korea Zinc's market share is about 9%, making it the largest in the world excluding China. Indium is a mineral used in semiconductors, displays, 5G communication technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computers, with demand rapidly increasing.

Antimony is known as an essential material for the defense industry. Like indium, it is classified as a strategic mineral. Although its global market share is not as high as zinc, lead, silver, or indium, Korea Zinc is increasing its export volume in line with production expansion, having pursued direct exports to the United States since June. The cumulative sales volume for the first to third quarters of this year increased by about 27% compared to the same period last year.

Based on this product competitiveness, Korea Zinc has continued a streak of 103 consecutive profitable quarters up to the third quarter of this year. Particularly, due to China's export control, the prices of strategic minerals like indium and antimony have risen, and the 'Troika Drive' new business strategy led by Chairman Choi Yoon-beom has become visible, resulting in quarterly sales surpassing KRW 4 trillion for the first time this third quarter.

A Korea Zinc representative stated, "With a diverse portfolio ranging from base metals to precious metals and strategic minerals, Korea Zinc has emerged as a national representative company leading the global non-ferrous metal market," and added, "We will continue to produce essential industrial materials with quality and technology befitting the World-Class Products selected by the government, contributing to Korea's resource security and economic development."

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