South Korea and Argentina agree to deepen critical minerals and energy cooperation

President Javier Milei met his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae Myung, in Buenos Aires on Friday as the two countries sought to deepen cooperation in critical minerals, energy and trade. Leer más

BUENOS AIRES — President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that South Korea and Argentina will usher in a new era of cooperation, saying closer bilateral collaboration is strategically more important than ever. Lee made the remarks at a meeting with members of the South Korean community in Argentina, the final stop on his three-nation South America tour aimed at strengthening cooperation on critical mineral supply chains and others. "I am confident that a new era of cooperation between Argentina and South Korea will fully unfold," the president said. "Amid the changing international order, from the artificial intelligence revolution to shifts in global supply chains, strategic bilateral cooperation is more important than ever," he said. Lee stressed that cooperation between South Korea and Argentina is entering a stage of tangible results, with bilateral collaboration expanding to critical minerals, including lithium, as well as energy and infrastructure. The remarks came after Lee held a summit with Argentine President Javier Milei earlier Friday, during which the two leaders agreed to strengt

BUENOS AIRES — South Korea and Argentina agreed Friday to strengthen their bilateral cooperation on critical minerals, including by pursuing joint projects across the entire lithium value chain, a presidential official said Friday. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) toward that end was signed on the sidelines of a bilateral summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei, in Buenos Aires. Under the MOU, the two countries will share information on their respective policies regarding critical minerals and related investment systems, while promoting bilateral corporate investment and pursuing joint projects across the entire lithium value chain, including exploration and mining, according to National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac. Seoul and Buenos Aires also agreed to cooperate to ensure stable exports of Argentine crude oil to South Korea, as South Korea plans to begin importing Argentine crude oil next year following a pilot shipment earlier this year, he said. The move is expected to diversify South Korea's crude oil import sources, which