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.