Korea’s resource hunt moves beyond China

ALICE SPRINGS/DARWIN, Australia — China's tightened grip on critical mineral exports has pushed Korean industrial groups to look to Australia’s Northern Territory for alternative supplies of rare earths and natural gas. China controls as much as 90 percent of global rare earth refining, leaving manufacturers exposed to Beijing’s export restrictions. Hyundai Motor Group, SK Innovation E&S and Posco International are now exploring projects stretching from a rare earths deposit near Alice Springs t