BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 15. Kazakhstan's Tau-Ken Samruk national mining company and South Korea's Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) plan to conduct joint lithium research and geological exploration to assess resource potential and prospects for further development in Kazakhstan, Tau-Ken Samruk said.
The agreement was signed in Seoul during the state visit of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to South Korea.
The document provides for joint research and geological exploration of lithium deposits to assess their resource potential and prospects for further development.
Cooperation between Tau-Ken Samruk and KIGAM has been ongoing since 2024, with the two sides conducting joint research in several areas related to critical minerals.
Tau-Ken Samruk also signed a memorandum with POSCO Holdings aimed at developing a high-tech production chain in Kazakhstan for high-value-added rare earth products.
The cooperation will cover technologies for high-purity separation and refining of rare earth elements, metallization and product development, as well as the recovery of rare earth elements from secondary industrial raw materials and production by-products. The sides also plan to conduct joint research and identify new promising projects.
POSCO Holdings is the holding company of one of South Korea's largest industrial groups, with operations in metallurgy, critical minerals, battery materials and advanced technologies.
“The agreements reached in Seoul cover two interconnected areas - geological study and assessment of the resource potential of critical minerals, as well as the introduction of deep-processing technologies and the production of high-value-added products in Kazakhstan,” KIGAM said.
Tau-Ken Samruk Chairman Naryman Absametov also took part in a series of meetings held by Samruk-Kazyna Chairman Nurlan Zhakupov with representatives of the South Korean government, businesses and scientific organizations.
The talks focused on prospects for cooperation in mining and metallurgy, geological exploration and critical minerals.
