美国将为韩国锌业74亿美元关键矿产冶炼厂项目提供支持

Core Viewpoint - The world's largest metal smelting company, Korea Zinc, plans to invest approximately $7.4 billion to build a smelting plant in the United States, supported by the U.S. government and other investors, to expand the supply of critical materials needed for chip manufacturing, defense, and aerospace [1][3][4] Group 1: Investment and Strategic Importance - Korea Zinc's project will involve a joint venture named "Crucible Joint Venture LLC," with $1.94 billion of funding coming from this venture, which includes the U.S. government, strategic investors, and Korea Zinc itself [4] - The new smelting facility will have refining capabilities for zinc, lead, copper, gold, and silver, and will also refine strategic minerals such as antimony, germanium, and gallium, which are widely used in semiconductor, satellite, and night vision device manufacturing [5] Group 2: Market Context and Positioning - Despite the reduction of electric vehicle-related subsidies by the Trump administration, the U.S. government's priority to secure non-Chinese sources of critical minerals has created strategic development opportunities for smelting companies [2][5] - Korea Zinc aims to position itself as a national security supplier by establishing smelting processing capacity in the U.S. and collaborating with government and defense sectors, betting on geopolitical factors, defense demand, and grid construction needs for more sustainable market benefits than the current short-term downturn in the electric vehicle industry [2][5] Group 3: Corporate Governance and Stock Performance - Korea Zinc is currently facing a prolonged corporate control dispute, initiated last year when its largest shareholder, Yongfeng Group, and Ambo Kai Investment Group launched a hostile takeover bid [6] - On the Seoul stock market, Korea Zinc's shares rose by 4.9% at close, with an intraday increase of up to 26%, while Yongfeng Group's shares fell by 2.8% [6]