Korea Zinc held a memorial ceremony on the first anniversary of the passing of its late Honorary Chairman Choi Chang-gul, honoring his management philosophy and entrepreneurial spirit.
The ceremony took place on the morning of October 6 at the company's headquarters in Jongno, Seoul. Approximately 130 attendees were present, including Chairman Choi Yun-beom, family members, Vice Chairman Lee Je-jung, CEO Park Gi-deok, employees from Korea Zinc and its affiliates, and friends of the late chairman.
The memorial service included a moment of silence, a biography presentation, a tribute video, commemorative speeches, remarks from family representatives, and a flower-laying ceremony. Baek Soon-heum, head of Korea Zinc's management division, introduced the late chairman's biography, while CEO Park delivered a tribute on behalf of the employees. Chairman Choi expressed gratitude on behalf of the family.
Park stated, "Over the past year, Korea Zinc has moved forward steadily despite various changes and challenges. We reaffirmed that the management philosophy and entrepreneurial spirit established by the Honorary Chairman are the roots that support today's Korea Zinc."
He also emphasized the commitment to inherit the values of 'people' and 'trust' that the late chairman championed, aiming to enhance refining competitiveness and expand into new businesses such as core mineral supply chains, renewable energy, secondary battery materials, and resource recycling.
Honorary Chairman Choi passed away on October 6 of last year at the age of 84. As the second son of Choi Gi-ho, the founder of Korea Zinc, he played a crucial role in establishing the company in 1974 and laid the foundation for its growth into a comprehensive non-ferrous metal enterprise.
Born in 1941 in Hwanghae Province, Choi graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in economics and earned an MBA from Columbia University in the United States. After working in the U.S., he returned to Korea in 1973, and following the government's announcement of a plan to promote heavy and chemical industries, Korea Zinc was selected as the operator for the refining sector and was established in August 1974.
Initially, he led efforts to secure funding and attract investment for the construction of the refinery. He obtained project financing from institutions such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and reduced initial investment costs by directly managing equipment purchases and construction instead of using a turnkey approach.
After the refinery began operations, he focused on expanding production facilities and developing technology. From 1980 to 1992, he served as president and vice chairman, promoting the establishment of the Korea Zinc Technology Research Institute and expanding production capacity, while also participating in the founding of Youngpoong Precision (now KZ Precision) in 1983 and Seorin Trading (now KZ Trading) in 1984.
Since becoming chairman in 1992, he has continuously expanded zinc and lead refining facilities and established an overseas business base by founding the SMC zinc refinery in Australia. He also commercialized technology to recycle zinc residues for use as cement raw materials, contributing to resource recycling in refining processes.
Throughout his management career, Honorary Chairman Choi emphasized the importance of people and trust, as well as the development of technology and talent. Korea Zinc aims to uphold this management philosophy while strengthening its existing refining competitiveness and expanding into core minerals and eco-friendly new businesses.
During the ceremony, attendees also unveiled a bust of the late chairman. Following the event, family members and key executives visited the late chairman's grave at Morang Park in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, to pay their respects and held a memorial stone unveiling ceremony.
Korea Zinc is accelerating its entry into the U.S. core mineral supply chain, leveraging the refining technologies accumulated during Honorary Chairman Choi's tenure. The company is currently pursuing a $7.4 billion integrated refinery construction project, known as 'Project Crucible,' in Clarksville, Tennessee.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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