Korea Eximbank Hosts Critical Minerals Supply Chain Roundtable

KEXIM convenes diplomats from 11 embassies, including the US and Vietnam, in Seoul to discuss stabilizing critical-minerals supplies amid supply-chain shifts and geopolitical risks.

Participants, including (from fourth from left, front row) Mongolian Ambassador to Korea Suhee Sukhbold, President of The Export-Import Bank of Korea Hwang Ki-yeon, and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Philippines to Korea Edwin Gil Mendoza, pose for a commemorative photograph during the ‘Global Critical Minerals Supply Chain Roundtable’ held at the KEXIM headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on April 27.

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) announced on April 28 that it held the ‘Global Critical Minerals Supply Chain Roundtable’ at its headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, inviting officials from the embassies of 11 countries, including the United States and Vietnam.

Attended by commercial attachés and economic counselors from the embassies of the United States, Australia, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Chile, Peru, and Tanzania, the event aimed to explore response measures for securing a stable supply of critical minerals amid a rapidly changing external environment, including the reorganization of global supply chains and geopolitical crises originating from the Middle East.

At the event, following a presentation by the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) on the supply and demand status of critical minerals and industry trends, various financial support programs utilizing KEXIM’s ‘Supply Chain Stabilization Fund’ and ‘Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF)’ were introduced.

In the subsequent discussion, participants reviewed the industrial issues related to critical minerals in each of the 11 countries and held in-depth deliberations on effective supply chain cooperation measures linked with KEXIM’s financial instruments.

President Hwang Ki-yeon said, “In an era where resource security is national competitiveness, critical minerals are not just simple raw materials but strategic assets that determine a nation’s survival,” adding, “Through this event, we will solidify mutually beneficial partnerships with our strategic partner countries and actively play a bridging role to ensure global supply chain stability.”

Yoon Young-sil