Brazil and South Korea sign agreement to strengthen cooperation on critical minerals

Brazil and South Korea signed, this Monday (27), joint communiqués to expand bilateral cooperation in the critical and strategic minerals sector. The measure aims to strengthen the partnership between the two nations in the mining segment, establishing guidelines to create more sustainable, diversified, and resilient production chains, which are essential for digital transformation and the global energy transition.

One of the central pillars of the agreement is the incentive for the processing and refining of minerals in Brazilian territory, preferably close to extraction areas. The goal is to increase value addition to the country's natural resources, reducing the export of unprocessed raw materials and attracting investment to more complex industrial stages.

Cooperation between the countries also covers technology transfer, research, development, and innovation. To make these goals viable, governments intend to create permanent technical exchange mechanisms, aiming to expand institutional capacities aimed at the development of the mineral sector, always respecting national sovereignty and autonomy in public exploration policies.

The move intensifies the rapprochement between the two nations, which began in February of this year during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's visit to South Korea. On that occasion, the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Brazil-Korea Strategic Partnership 2026–2029 was launched, which already provided for critical minerals as a priority for bilateral cooperation.

The focus falls on raw materials fundamental to the manufacturing of batteries and electric vehicles, such as lithium, graphite, nickel, and rare earths. In addition to mining, the agreement provides for collaboration in areas linked to clean energy, including low-carbon hydrogen, bioenergy, renewable fuels, energy efficiency, and carbon capture technologies.

The partnership comes at a time of growth in trade relations. In 2025, trade flow between Brazil and South Korea totaled $10.8 billion, with Brazil posting a surplus of $168 million in operations between the two countries.