SEOUL, – South Korea and the United States have launched a joint research project on the extraction of rare earth elements in Vietnam, as part of efforts to bolster cooperation in enhancing the supply chain of critical minerals, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Thursday.

The two countries will send their researchers and geological experts to Hanoi for three months starting in October, to work on extracting rare earths and other critical elements from coal ash, under the U.S. Embassy Science Fellow (ESF) project.

The U.S. has been running ESF projects since 2001, but it is the first time for Washington to dispatch its scientists to a third country in collaboration with a foreign partner, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.

The allies are also working closely with the Vietnamese government to facilitate the joint research.

The project will seek to promote the use of environmentally friendly technologies to extract rare earth elements and bolster international cooperation in the processing of critical minerals, the ministry said.

The collaboration also adds to the efforts in existing multilateral mechanisms on critical minerals, such as the U.S.-led Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) that the allies have signed up for.

The MSP was launched in 2022 by the U.S. to strengthen the global supply of and promote investment in critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt and nickel.

The alliance is largely seen as a partnership that also aims to reduce the risk of dependence on China for raw materials.

Source: Yonhap News Agency