Korea Zinc said on the 18th that the lead, silver, and indium it produces have been selected as "World-Class Products" designated by the government.
Korea Zinc's "antimony" was selected this time as a next-generation World-Class Product, bringing the total number of metals certified by the government to five, including zinc selected in 2002.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) held the "2025 World-Class Product certificate award ceremony" at Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, Seoul, on this day and presented Korea Zinc with World-Class Product certificates for lead, silver, and indium.
According to WoodMackenzie, as of 2024, Korea Zinc's Onsan Smelter ranked first among smelters worldwide in zinc and lead production. Korea Zinc also produces zinc through its Australian subsidiary Sun Metals Corporation (SMC) and supplies it globally.
Korea Zinc also produces about 2,000 tons (t) of silver annually. According to MordorIntelligence, the global silver market this year is estimated at about 36,000 t. Korea Zinc's share of the global silver market is over 5%.
For the strategic mineral indium, Korea Zinc produced 92 t last year. Data from the U.S. Geological Survey show that global indium production last year was 1,080 t, putting Korea Zinc's share at about 9%.