Yang Ki-wook, director general of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's industrial resources security bureau [Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]
Yang Ki-wook, director general of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's industrial resources security bureau [Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]

South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the 19th Non-Ferrous Metals Day ceremony Monday at LS MnM's Onsan Smelter in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, presenting government commendations — including presidential citations — to 18 people who contributed to the development of the non-ferrous metals industry.

Jo In-rae, a team leader at LS MnM, received a presidential citation for his role in stabilizing the supply chain. He boosted the processing volume of copper concentrate and copper scrap by 170 percent through equipment upgrades and process optimization.

Kim Jong-geun, an adviser at Pungjeon Non-Ferrous Metals, and Ryu Myeong-seop, a department head at Igu Industry, each received a prime minister's commendation — Kim for building an eco-friendly production system that cut aluminum waste generation by 20 percent, and Ryu for reducing the process defect rate by 30 percent through smart manufacturing.

Fifteen others, including Lee Gang-hyeok, an assistant director at Poongsan, and Kim Eun-su, a director at Ulsan Aluminum, received ministerial commendations.

Non-Ferrous Metals Day has been held since 2008 to mark June 3, 1936, when copper was first smelted in Korea at the Janghang Smelter — now LS MnM. This year's event was held at the smelting site to mark the 90th anniversary of non-ferrous metals production in Korea.

Yang Ki-wook, director general of the ministry's industrial resources security bureau, said the non-ferrous metals industry is "the foundation of South Korea's manufacturing sector and a key asset for the future." He added that the industry helped drive export growth last year despite difficult conditions, including a 50 percent U.S. tariff on aluminum and copper.

Yang said the ministry would work to advance the industry by expanding public stockpiles, diversifying raw material procurement to build a more stable supply chain, developing high-value-added materials such as specialty alloys and high-purity rare metals in conjunction with downstream industries, advancing recycling technology, and resolving trade uncertainties.


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