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Korea Zinc becomes first to ship antimony to United States: 'A resource supply chain independent from China'

Published: 16 Jun. 2025, 17:06 Updated: 16 Jun. 2025, 18:44

Antimony shipping yard at Korea Zinc’s smelter in Onsan [KOREA ZINC]

Korea Zinc has shipped antimony — a critical mineral used in F-35 stealth fighters and other advanced military hardware — directly to the United States for the first time, as part of an aggressive push to strengthen supply chain ties with Washington and counter China’s stranglehold on the global market.

The company said Monday it had loaded 20 tons of antimony onto a cargo ship at Busan Port, bound for Baltimore. The shipment is scheduled to arrive in the United States next month and will be delivered to around 10 domestic companies, including major defense contractors.

Korea Zinc plans to export 100 tons of antimony to the United States this year and aims to expand that volume to more than 240 tons in 2026, shipping 20 tons per month.

“We’re strengthening efforts to build a strategic supply chain hub between Korea and the United States,” the company said.

Antimony is one of more than 30 strategic minerals designated by Korea under its Special Act on National Resource Security.

It is widely used in military applications, including alloy production for chip manufacturing equipment, armor-piercing ammunition, high-durability lead-acid batteries and submarine ballasts. The mineral is also a component of infrared sensors used in missile warning systems in F-35 fighter jets.

The United States, China and the European Union all classify antimony as a strategic mineral due to its importance in the defense and technology sectors.

China remains the dominant global supplier of antimony. Beijing's decision to impose export controls on key minerals in September of last year triggered a supply shortage and sharp price increases.

The average price per ton of antimony surged from $15,000 in the first half of 2024 to $57,000 in the first quarter of this year.

The United States relies on China for more than 60 percent of its antimony imports. According to U.S. defense contractor Govini, the mineral is used in 6,355 weapon components in the country.

Korea Zinc’s latest shipment is expected to support U.S. efforts to reduce dependency on Chinese critical mineral supplies.

“We hope to contribute to the U.S. strategy for building a resource supply chain independent from China and to assist the new administration’s economic diplomacy,” a company spokesperson said.

Korea Zinc entered the antimony business in 2014 and remains the only company in Korea capable of producing antimony with 99.95 percent purity. The company sells roughly 70 percent of its output domestically and exports the remaining 30 percent.

It produced 3,500 tons last year and plans to increase capacity this year. In the first quarter, Korea Zinc reported record-high antimony sales of 971 tons.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY NA SANG-HYEON [[email protected]]