The Sangdong mine in Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province, is emerging as a strategic asset in efforts to build a non-Chinese tungsten supply chain for the semiconductor industry. Operated by Almonty Korea Tungsten Corp. (AKTC), the mine is one of the world’s largest tungsten deposits and has moved from development toward production readiness. The Sangdong mine is expected to supply tungsten concentrate and support the production of higher-value materials such as high-purity tungsten oxide. AKTC said the mine could strengthen Korea’s domestic critical-mineral security while providing an alternative source for global semiconductor and advanced-manufacturing industries that remain heavily dependent on China. The mine development project has gained importance as concerns over global tungsten hexafluoride (WF6) supplies intensify. WF6 is a specialty gas used in semiconductor metallization, including tungsten deposition processes required for 3D NAND, DRAM and high-bandwidth memory. Rising demand from AI servers and data centers is increasing demand, while the qualification of alternative