Amid the growing instability in global critical mineral supply chains, Korea and Japan are strengthening joint efforts to promote sustainable supply chain stability between producing and consuming countries. As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK (Jung-Kwan) Kim) and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) held the second Korea–Japan Mineral Resources Cooperation Dialogue on Wednesday, December 17, in Seoul.

Korea and Japan share similar industrial structures centered on advanced manufacturing sectors—including semiconductors, batteries, and materials and components—and are among the world’s leading consumer countries that rely heavily on imports for critical minerals. As global critical mineral supply chains have increasingly become bloc-oriented, particularly around the United States and China, and as cooperation among producing countries has intensified, consumer countries have continued to call for international coordination that reflects their interests.

Recognizing this need, and marking the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan, the two countries identified securing global critical mineral supply chains as a key area of partnership and convened the first Korea–Japan Mineral Resources Cooperation Dialogue in February. At the inaugural meeting, the two sides discussed comprehensive cooperation measures, including joint procurement of critical minerals and cooperation on stockpiling, and agreed to hold the dialogue on a regular basis. The second dialogue was convened as a follow-up meeting to review outcomes of the collaboration over the past year and to further deepen bilateral engagement.

During the meeting, the two sides focused their discussions on joint responses to the current low copper TC/RC environment, enhancing coordination within multilateral platforms such as the G7 and the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), and strengthening cooperation on the development and production of critical minerals in third countries.

MOTIR plans to continue expanding cooperation with Japan and other like-minded partners to further stabilize critical mineral supply chains and pursue partnership models that promote mutual growth between producing and consuming countries in the global critical minerals market.