Korea Zinc said on the 6th that operating profit for the first quarter came to 746.1 billion won, up 175.2% from a year earlier. Revenue rose 58.4% on-year to 6.072 trillion won.
First-quarter revenue and operating profit both marked all-time highs. Net profit also surged 117.9% on-year to 354 billion won. Korea Zinc also achieved its 105th consecutive quarter of operating profit.
A Korea Zinc official said, "Although raw material prices rose and supply chain uncertainty increased due to the war between the United States and Iran, we succeeded in improving results by diversifying the product portfolio."
In industry circles, there is analysis that the rise in gold and silver prices and growing demand for critical minerals also helped improve Korea Zinc's results.
Chair Choi Yoon-beom's new-business strategy, "Troika Drive," now underway, has also helped noticeably improve Korea Zinc's profitability. Troika Drive is a strategy to build an integrated value chain from feedstock to recycling, centered on renewable energy and green hydrogen, secondary-battery materials, and resource circulation.
Meanwhile, Korea Zinc held a regular board meeting that day and voted to set the dividend per share at 5,000 won. The total amount of dividends is 102 billion won, with payment scheduled for June 5.