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| ▲ Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a new year kickoff ceremony at the foreign ministry in Seoul on Jan. 2, 2026. (Yonhap) |
S Korea-US-critical minerals
S. Korea positively considering FM's attendance at U.S.-led critical minerals meeting: official
SEOUL, Jan. 22 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry signaled Thursday that Foreign Minister Cho Hyun may attend a U.S.-led foreign ministers' meeting next month on critical minerals seen as largely aimed at reducing Chinese dependency.
A Seoul official said the ministry is positively considering Cho's attendance at the meeting among U.S. allies and partner nations, slated for Feb. 4. It is expected to be hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"South Korea, as chair of the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), has actively contributed to international discussions on critical minerals," the official said.
"We are actively engaging with the U.S. and other countries on a range of cooperative measures to stabilize and diversify critical mineral supply chains," he said.
Reports have said that Washington is seeking to push for an agreement on efforts to reduce reliance on China for critical minerals supply.
Boosting the supply chain of critical minerals away from Beijing has been a key U.S. policy priority, amid China's increasing strategic leverage on its rare earths exports.
The MSP was launched in 2022 by the U.S. to strengthen the global supply and promote investment in critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt and nickel. The U.S., Japan, Canada, France and the European Union are among the member countries.
The partnership is largely seen as designed to reduce the risk of dependence on China for raw materials.
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