[Economy PICK] Lithium found in "Death Land"...China and Cascism Goes Beyond

[Anchor]
It's time for an 'economic pick' to kindly solve economic issues.

Reporter Park Ki-wan is here. Welcome.

Let's look at the first keyword and video first.Reporter

Park went to Argentina in person this time?

[Reporter]
Yes, I went to Salta, northern Argentina, last week.

This was to see a lithium factory built by our company here at 4,000 meters high in the Andes Mountains.

[Anchor]
It must have taken a long time to get there when it's really on the other side of the world.

[Reporter]
Yes, even if you're on 3 flights,
It's a place where you have to take one more light plane going up to the
highlands to get there.It was a huge wasteland with very few plants and no people, to the extent that

'Ombre Muerto', in Korean it was called 'the land of the dead man'.

However, the salt water and salt water underground here contain a large amount of 'lithium', a key material used in secondary battery cathode materials.

Unlike lithium ore forms that generally come from Australia and China, lithium is extracted from this brine in highlands such as Argentina and Chile.

POSCO Holdings took over the mining rights of Yeomho here in 2018, and began preparing for production in earnest.

It has been producing 25,000 tons of lithium hydroxide for electric vehicles annually since last month after test production.

[Anchor]
Why did you go so far and secure lithium?

[Reporter]
Yes, amid the recent U.S.-China conflict, the need to diversify raw material supply chains is growing.Lithium

is one of them.

In terms of global production, China ranks first overwhelmingly.

While mining lithium ore in the country, it has effectively disrupted the supply chain by aggressively acquiring lithium salt lakes such as Chile.

Korea, which is called a secondary battery powerhouse, is also highly dependent on China.

Of the total lithium imports into Korea, more than 75% are imported from China.

[Anchor]
It's a pretty serious situation, so that's why it came out as an alternative.

[Reporter]
Yes, that's why the importance of salt lakes here, where our companies have 100% of the mining rights of lithium raw materials, has grown.

In addition, POSCO has also secured lithium ore through a joint venture with an Australian company and is producing lithium in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province.

In particular, batteries are expected to become national security soon in the inevitable era of electricity.

That's why it's meaningful that our company has secured its own supply chain through more than a decade of investment and development of its own technology.

In fact, lithium prices themselves have fallen significantly due to slowing demand for electric vehicles.

Nevertheless, POSCO employees said they would thoroughly prepare during this period.

Let's listen to it for ourselves.

[Kim Kwang-bok / Head of POSCO Argentina: Building a solid production system by stabilizing facilities while making investments that no one thought of...].]

[Anchor]
It's a different story, but it must have been really hard for the first employees to enter this place.

[Reporter]
Yes, many of the people I met in person lived away from their families.

In addition, it is difficult to operate properly due to lack of oxygen.

When a small number of people enter test production in the highlands without intention, they take a nap on the bus, or
It is said that he once got skin disease while using freshwater near
.

Based on these efforts and sacrifices, it was possible to secure a lithium supply chain.

Let's hear from the local staff in person.

[Huh Dae-young / Head of production at POSCO Argentina: We started construction while settling the accommodation and board on the bus. In the middle of winter, it drops to minus 15 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius, so it's quite cold, and it's a painful neighborhood to live in. I have a daughter, and my heart aches whenever I say I miss my dad a lot.]