Korea Zinc announced record revenue and operating profit for the past year, driven by surging global prices of gold and silver, alongside increased demand for its metals from key industries including semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and defense.
The world’s leading nonferrous metal smelter reported a 37.6 percent year-on-year increase in 2025 revenue, reaching 16.58 trillion won ($11.38 billion). Operating profit soared by 70.3 percent to 1.23 trillion won, marking the highest figures in the company’s history.
The company highlighted its consistent profitability, now spanning 44 consecutive years.
In the fourth quarter of the year, Korea Zinc achieved revenue of 4.76 trillion won, a 39.6 percent year-on-year increase, and an operating profit of 429.3 billion won, a significant 257 percent rise. Operating margins doubled to 9 percent, compared to 3.5 percent in the previous year.
Korea Zinc attributed its strong performance to improved recovery rates of critical minerals and precious metals, including antimony, silver, and gold.
The company explained that the extraction of gold and silver during its smelting process leads to relatively low production costs, resulting in expanded profit margins.
Korea Zinc emphasized the importance of its key minerals, such as antimony, indium, and bismuth, for the semiconductor, AI, and defense sectors. Acknowledging the dominance of smaller nations in the supply chains of these metals, Korea Zinc is collaborating with the US and other countries, investing in initiatives to enhance supply stability.
The company is actively increasing the production of strategic minerals like germanium and gallium at its Onsan smelter. Furthermore, it is investing approximately $7.4 billion in constructing a large-scale smelting facility in the US, which is expected to produce 13 nonferrous metals, including 11 critical minerals.
Its US-based recycling unit, PedalPoint, also achieved its first annual profit last year, fueled by growing demand for recycled metals.
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