Korea Zinc said on the 18th it will carry out, without delay, its planned 1.5 trillion won in investments at domestic business sites including Ulsan through 2029. It also said it will double next year's hiring from its existing plan.
Korea Zinc will invest across the board in strategic mineral production, resource circulation, environment, and safety infrastructure. First, it will invest 140 billion won to build a new germanium plant and 55.7 billion won to establish a gallium recovery process for strategic mineral production.
Through this, starting in 2028, it plans to produce 12 tons (t) of germanium annually and supply 15 t of gallium. Korea Zinc expects to earn about 60 billion won a year, given that germanium and gallium are priced at $3,500 and $920 per kilogram, respectively.
In addition, it will invest 30 billion won in equipment by next year to increase production of the strategic mineral bismuth by 150%. Korea Zinc can currently produce 1,000 t of bismuth annually and plans to raise that to 1,500 t.
It will invest 150 billion won in research and development to maintain its technology edge through 2028. Investments will include the Songdo R&D Center, slated to break ground in the first half of next year, and research into core technologies such as materials, resource reutilization, energy, artificial intelligence (AI), and Robotics.
In the resource circulation business, it plans to invest 50 billion won through 2027 to expand its lead-acid battery shredding facility. Through this, it aims to shred 200,000 t of lead-acid batteries annually and recycle spent batteries to produce lead.
In materials, it will invest 520 billion won by next year to build a nickel smelter and, starting in 2027, produce 42,600 t of nickel for secondary batteries annually. It will also spend 130 billion won to expand its oxygen plant, with plans to increase output starting in 2027.
In the environment segment, it will complete construction of an in-house landfill facility, for which it has been investing 50 billion won since last year, and starting in 2026 will manage waste generated from smelting processes through trial operations.
In safety, it will spend 180 billion won to build an integrated control center, spanning one basement level to eight above-ground floors, to monitor all situations at the Onsan Smelter in real time and enhance control and crisis response capabilities.
Korea Zinc also said it will double next year's recruitment of new university graduates from its existing plan in line with investment progress. The company said it needs talent for the construction and operation of the U.S. Smelter, to secure replacement personnel at the Onsan Smelter, and for the construction and operation of new facilities.
According to Korea Zinc, the number of executives and employees has increased by about 150 per year on average over the past five years. The headcount, which stood at 1,396 at the end of 2020, rose to 2,085 as of Dec. 2025.
A Korea Zinc official said, "We are actively pushing ahead with domestic investments in a two-track approach alongside investment in building the U.S. Smelter," adding, "Along with securing future growth engines, we will carry out domestic investments without wavering."