US President Donald Trump has touted Korea Zinc’s planned multibillion-dollar smelter in Tennessee as a major investment secured through his tariff policies, putting the Korean metals company’s “Project Crucible” in the spotlight as Washington seeks to strengthen domestic critical mineral supply chains.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, Saturday, Trump singled out Korea Zinc’s investment as evidence that his trade policies are attracting foreign capital and creating American jobs.
“Thanks to my tariffs, Korea Zinc is investing over $6 billion in creating 740 jobs right here in Montgomery County and Smith County,” Trump said.
He also highlighted plans to build what he described as the first new mineral smelter in the US since 1979.
Local media focused on Trump’s reference to the project as a key economic achievement. Clarksville Now reported that the president touted Korea Zinc’s planned Crucible Metals smelter in Montgomery County during the rally.
Korea Zinc is developing Project Crucible in Tennessee in cooperation with the US government and other partners. The integrated nonferrous metals smelter entails a total investment of about $7.4 billion.
The facility is expected to produce zinc, lead, copper and silver, as well as critical minerals including antimony, indium, bismuth, tellurium, palladium and gallium. In total, it is slated to produce 11 minerals designated as critical by the US government.
The project comes as Washington steps up efforts to reduce its reliance on China and other overseas suppliers for minerals considered essential to industries ranging from semiconductors and batteries to defense and energy.
Project Crucible has increasingly drawn attention in Washington as a potential anchor for US-Korea cooperation on critical mineral supply chains.
At a critical minerals supply chain roundtable held at the US State Department in Washington on Aug. 7, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reportedly cited Project Crucible while emphasizing the need to build more domestic processing capacity.
The project has also been highlighted by the International Energy Agency and the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies in reports examining critical mineral supply chains and US efforts to secure strategically important materials.
For Korea Zinc, the attention underscores the strategic significance of its US expansion beyond the scale of the investment itself. The Tennessee facility could give the company a central role in Washington’s push to establish domestic processing capacity for minerals whose supply chains are heavily concentrated overseas.
hyejin2@heraldcorp.com