Aug 2025 – Korea Zinc Chairman Choi Yoon‑beom announces a strategic metals partnership with the United States during his visit, following a summit between the Korean and U.S. presidents, and signs a memorandum with Lockheed Martin to invest about 140 billion won in a germanium‑producing facility in South Korea, setting the stage for a later U.S. refinery plan [8].

Dec 14, 2025 – Korea Zinc and the U.S. government agree to a joint 10 trillion‑won (US$6.8 billion) investment to build a critical‑metals refinery in the southeastern United States, with Washington contributing roughly 2 trillion won through defense firms and a joint‑venture structure, and begin reviewing about 60 candidate sites for the plant [8].

Dec 15, 2025 – U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick posts on X that the Korea Zinc‑U.S. refinery partnership is a “big win,” noting the 650,000‑sq‑m facility will produce gallium, germanium, indium, antimony, copper, silver, gold and zinc to support defense systems, semiconductors, AI and quantum computing, and that the United States will have priority access to the output starting in 2026 [7].

Dec 24, 2025 – The Seoul Central District Court dismisses an injunction filed by Young Poong Corp. and MBK Partners, clearing the way for Korea Zinc to raise 2.85 trillion won via a third‑party share allotment to a joint venture with the U.S. Department of War that will fund the planned Tennessee refinery, removing a major corporate obstacle [6].

Jan 5, 2026 – South Korean Land Minister Kim Yun‑duk and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly attend the groundbreaking ceremony for a low‑carbon ammonia plant in West Terre Haute, Indiana, projecting 500,000 t of ammonia and 1.67 million t of CO₂ capture annually; Kim says the project is possible because of “policy financing,” while Danly calls it “the first of many partnerships” between the two nations [5].

Jan 29, 2026 – Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung‑kwan meets U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at the Department of Commerce to discuss trade tensions and to press forward on Korean investment commitments under the late‑2025 $350 billion pledge, reinforcing bilateral dialogue ahead of upcoming delegations [2].

Feb 17, 2026 – President Donald Trump announces three Japan‑backed projects in Texas, Ohio and Georgia via Truth Social, emphasizing that “one very special word, TARIFFS” enabled the $36 billion investments in oil & gas, power generation and critical‑minerals facilities, and schedules a White House summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for the following month [4][3].

Feb 19, 2026 – South Korea sends a working‑level delegation led by Vice Trade Minister Park Jung‑sung to Washington to discuss the commercial rationality of Korean projects under the $350 billion investment pledge, focusing on energy and power infrastructure, while President Trump warns of raising reciprocal tariffs on Korean goods to 25 % if commitments lag [2].

Feb 20, 2026 – U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posts on X that Korea Zinc commits $6.6 billion to a new 7‑million‑sq‑ft metals refinery in Clarksville, Tennessee, which will process 1.1 million t of ore into zinc annually, create 420 jobs, and begin producing eleven designated critical minerals in 2029; Landau calls the deal a “win‑win economic diplomacy” linking it to earlier Trump‑era investment pledges [1].

2026 – The United States secures priority access to the output of Korea Zinc’s new U.S. refinery, guaranteeing a stable supply of gallium, germanium, indium, antimony, copper, silver, gold and zinc for defense, semiconductor and AI applications, as highlighted by Commerce Secretary Lutnick in December 2025 [7].

2029 – The Clarksville, Tennessee facility is scheduled to start producing the eleven U.S.-designated critical minerals, fulfilling a key component of the United States’ strategic mineral‑independence goals [1].