South Korea announced direction toward designating and recycling 10 strategic critical minerals including rare earth elements 
On March 25, 2025, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF) and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of South Korea held the 4th Supply Chain Stabilization Committee meeting and issued a policy document titled “Direction Toward the Vitalization of Critical Mineral Recycling.”
This document aims to foster the recycling industry by promoting the extraction of critical minerals—such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium—from discarded batteries, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and catalysts. It also sets a goal of increasing the recycling rate of ten strategic critical minerals to 20% by 2030. To achieve this, South Korea plans to advance its policy through four strategic areas: deregulation, infrastructure development, industrial base creation, and company development support. The details are as follows:
