On February 4, 2026, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun attended the first ministerial meeting on critical minerals in Washington, D.C., where countries discussed strengthening international cooperation to stabilize and diversify global critical mineral supply chains.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on February 5, 2026, that Cho welcomed the relaunch of the Minerals Security Partnership as the Forum on Resilient Global Economic Security and, as chair, expressed his commitment to expanding cooperation among member countries and identifying practical joint projects.

Cho presented FORGE’s future direction by building on MSP achievements, emphasizing investment promotion in critical mineral projects, stronger diplomatic coordination, improved communication across the entire mineral lifecycle, and reinforcement of FORGE’s role as a cooperation platform for critical mineral recycling, with South Korea set to chair the partnership until June 2026.

The Minerals Security Partnership is an international framework aimed at strengthening global critical mineral supply chains and includes 16 members such as South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union Commission, with South Korea currently serving as chair.

During the visit, Cho also met separately with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to discuss bilateral trade issues between South Korea and the United States, although specific details were not disclosed.

Cho additionally held brief talks with the foreign ministers of Canada, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Mongolia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

The inaugural meeting, hosted by the U.S. State Department, brought together representatives from 56 countries including G7 members and covered cooperation across the full supply chain from mining and refining to intermediate and final manufacturing.

Senior U.S. officials including Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright attended and outlined U.S. policy directions for diversifying critical mineral supply chains.

On February 4, 2026, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun attended the first ministerial …

Unlocking the Future: How the 'FORGE' Initiative is Transforming Global Critical Mineral Supply Chains