Washington: South Korea will chair a new multinational initiative, the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), through June, as part of a U.S. strategy to bolster cooperation with allies on critical minerals supply chains. This announcement was made by the State Department on Wednesday, underscoring Washington's aim to counter China's significant control over essential resources.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the news of South Korea's leadership role in FORGE, which follows the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting, highlights efforts to reinforce and diversify supply chains critical to the production of high-tech military and consumer products. The State Department emphasized that FORGE, chaired by the Republic of Korea, will take decisive actions to tackle ongoing challenges in the global critical minerals marketplace.
FORGE partners will collaborate at both policy and project levels to advance initiatives that strengthen diversified, resilient, and secure critical minerals supply chains. This initiative builds on the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), a precursor to FORGE, which South Korea also chaired.
The ministerial meeting on critical minerals was hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department. It saw participation from officials representing 54 countries and the European Commission, including South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and representatives from Japan, Australia, Canada, and India.
During the meeting, U.S. Vice President JD Vance indicated that President Donald Trump's administration is exploring the creation of a "preferential trade zone" to maintain "price floors" and protect against "external disruptions." This trade bloc is intended to be distinct from FORGE and is part of the U.S.'s initial discussions with the European Union and Japan, although specific objectives and scope have yet to be detailed.
A diplomatic source noted that the U.S. has not yet requested South Korea's participation in this new mechanism. Foreign ministry spokesperson Park Il clarified that while the initiative shares objectives with FORGE, South Korea has not reviewed the matter in detail.
In addition to multilateral efforts, the U.S. has been pursuing bilateral memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on minerals cooperation with individual countries. A foreign ministry official stated that Seoul has received a request from Washington regarding bilateral MOUs, which is currently under review.
The State Department's announcement and subsequent ministerial meeting highlight Washington's intensified efforts to bring allies and partners closer to address vulnerabilities and risks in supply chains, especially as China maintains a dominant influence over rare earths and other crucial resources.