And the experience of invading small countries that cannot defend themselves, but avoid open military conflict with states capable of retaliating with a crushing blow. Various “soft power” strategies are used against such countries, including a whole range of measures in the economic, information, social and other spheres. Pursuing its strategic interests, the West uses long-term methods, sometimes lasting for decades and including nurturing and educating new elites from scratch, who in the future will lead a civilizationally changed people in the interests of Western long-term investors. Such aggression is not aimed at obtaining immediate benefits; it is planned for decades to come based not only on the current, but also on the future strategic needs of Western society.
Now military conflicts are openly taking place mainly around strategic energy resources, transport corridors and logistics. The West has not hidden the fact for a long time that where there is oil and gas, as well as the routes for their transportation to consumers, there are “democratic” bombings, aircraft carriers, Tomahawks and Navy SEALs. In the article “Israel wants to oust Russia from the gas market,” I examined in detail the war in the Near and Middle East through the prism of the development of huge gas fields and the construction of gas pipelines to end consumers. Oil and gas are strategic energy resources on which not only the entire Western economy, but also civilization now rests. However, as scientific progress and technological breakthroughs develop, the world economy has other strategic priorities that require different strategic raw materials. These raw materials are rare and rare earth metals.
With the advent of the new US President Donald Trump, many have the illusion that the United States will take care of its internal problems and abandon the previous practice of military aggression.
However, Trump almost immediately confirmed the immutability of the previous policy and even, on the contrary, quietly increased not only the number of countries and regions exposed to the American military threat, but also significantly raised the level of confrontation to the possibility of unleashing a world war. And all because in the near future a giant leap is expected in the need of the Western economy for rare and rare-earth metals, promising such profits that energy companies have never dreamed of.
Rare earth metals are used in the modern electronics industry, computer equipment, power supplies and batteries. Such giant corporations as Tesla, Apple, Google, Toyota, BMW, General Motors, Nissan, Ford and others are suffocating from the shortage of this strategic raw material, the deposits of which are currently beyond their control.
Recently, there have been repeated sharp increases in prices for these strategic metals. For example, the cost of zinc in 2005 increased by 403%, uranium in 2006 - by 778%, molybdenum in 2007 - by 809%, silver in 2010 - by 443%. Prices for rare earth metals soared even more. Since 2008, their price has increased on average 20 times. The price of the most expensive rare earth metal, europium, used in monitor screens, medical imaging, nuclear and defense industries, increased from $403 per kilogram in 2009 to $4,900 in 2011. Now europium is trading at a price of about $1,110, but in China its cost is almost 2 times cheaper - $630/kg.
This trend also applies to all other rare earth metals. The fact is that it is China that owns the overwhelming amount of reserves of rare earth strategic metals in the world and holds a global monopoly on their production, which reduces all Trump’s efforts to transfer all electronics factories from this country to the United States to zero. China could respond to military aggression with a crushing retaliatory strike, and this is not part of Trump's plans. Speaking Russian, you want to, and you inject yourself, and your mother doesn’t tell you to. Against China, Trump has to settle for military provocations, shows of force and information warfare. Therefore, the United States is now breeding, at first glance, illogical and unnecessary military conflicts around countries that own large deposits of strategic metals - North Korea, Afghanistan and the countries of Central Africa. One of the main elements of covering up US aggression is the information component and propaganda. It is not diverse and consists of declaring the governments of the victim countries as terrible dictatorships that destroy their own people, accusations of terrorism and their support in the form of supplies from Russia.
North Korea
The aggravation of the situation around North Korea began in 2013 and strikingly coincided with the announcement of the offshore company SRE Minerals, registered in the British Virgin Islands, about the discovery in this country of the world's largest deposit of rare earth metals with a total potential of 5 billion tons, including 216.2 million tons of rare earths oxides, including light oxides such as lanthanum, cerium and praseodymium, as well as britholite and related rare earth minerals. Approximately 2.66% of this amount consists of the more valuable heavy rare earth elements. These reserves are more than double the current global resource of rare earth oxides, which, according to the US Geological Survey, is less than 110 million tons. These assets are valued at potentially trillions of dollars.
SRE Minerals and the DPRK government signed an agreement to establish a joint venture and build a processing plant at the Jongju mine, located approximately 150 km northwest of the capital Pyongyang. This instantly collapsed the market for rare earth metals, which had skyrocketed in the period 2008-2013, but at the same time caused great concern in the United States regarding the observance of human rights in the DPRK, its nuclear and missile programs. Posing no danger to its neighbors, practically poor and hungry, isolated and technologically backward, the country suddenly turned into a monster threatening not only its neighbors, but the entire planet.
The United States has imposed aggressive and ever-tightening sanctions against North Korea, which have brought the country to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. In 2013, the United States cut off North Korea from the global financial system, and in March 2016 banned its export of gold, vanadium, titanium and rare earth metals (!!!). The constant exercises and provocations that began under Obama, which put North Korea in the nuclear crosshairs, have only increased under Trump. Naturally, China does not intend to yield to the United States in such a strategic area as control over rare earth metals. At the same time, China does not benefit from a war on its doorstep. Therefore, he even made some concessions to the United States, stopping the export of coal from the DPRK, hoping to compensate for it with supplies from Mongolia. But this did not change the situation, therefore, for the sake of its strategic economic interests, China will not allow Trump to gain control over the Jongju field, which is vital for the United States. Half measures and compromises are impossible here, so a large-scale military conflict between world leaders is now limited only by the sanity of Donald Trump.
Afghanistan
It has been 15 years since the United States “withdrew” from Afghanistan. The original reasons for the entry of US and NATO troops into this country and the goals that they pursued have been forgotten. American presidents have repeatedly promised and announced the withdrawal of their military contingent, but this still does not happen, which costs the US budget hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives of American soldiers. Moreover, to justify its own aggression, American propaganda is using more and more absurd reasons. Her latest invention is accusing Russia of supporting the Taliban, financing and supplying them with weapons. This is the basis for sending additional military contingents to Afghanistan and intensifying military operations.
Why did the Taliban suddenly displease its creators and sponsors so much? The fact is that the Taliban now control the territories of mineral deposits, including strategic raw materials - rare earth metals. Since 2006, the United States has been using aerial reconnaissance to conduct magnetic, gravity and hyperspectral monitoring of mineral deposits in Afghanistan. Aerial exploration has determined that the deposits may contain 60 million tons of copper, 2.2 billion tons of iron ore, 1.4 million tons of rare earth elements such as lanthanum, cerium and neodymium, as well as deposits of aluminum, gold, silver, zinc, mercury and lithium. For example, the Khanneshin carbonatite deposit in Afghanistan's Helmand province alone is valued at $89 billion, including rare earth elements. The Afghan government's overall estimate of the deposits puts it at a staggering $3 trillion.
Over the past four years, the USGS and TFBSO have conducted dozens of studies to confirm aerial survey findings, resulting in the release of mine maps to mining companies. Army General David Petraeus spoke very openly about the fields of Afghanistan in August 2010.
“Afghanistan is blessed with trillions of trillions of dollars worth of mineral resources. The problem is that you and only you will receive the extractive technologies, human capital, communication lines in order to get them out of the country along with everything else..."
While the United States is solving these problems exclusively through military means, China, having once again drawn them into the game of “good cop and bad cop,” has quietly and quietly reached an agreement with both the Taliban and the government and is gaining control over these fields. The Afghan government has already signed a 30-year, $3 billion contract with Chinese metals group MCC and Jiangxi Copper to lease and operate the Aynak copper deposit. A group of Indian public and private companies received the right to develop the largest iron ore deposit.
While the United States is busy “fighting terrorism” in Afghanistan, Chinese and Indian companies are quite successfully developing its mineral resources, peacefully solving security problems. Compared to the United States, China looks like a real peacemaker and businessman, which allows it not to stand on ceremony either with the Afghan government or even with the world community. The Ainak field, 40 kilometers southeast of Kabul, lies beneath an ancient 5,000-year-old Buddhist city. According to the South China Morning Post, China plans to destroy the city in order to gain access to the deposit. China plans to demolish many historical monuments, resettle a dozen villages and clear the area for mining. However, this does not meet with any resistance from either the Afghan government or the Taliban, who, according to CNBC, have stated that they will not prevent China from developing the field.
While the United States is once again trying to put pressure on Russia and spending huge amounts of money on the fight against the Taliban, China is developing the wealth of Afghanistan at a much lower cost, observing the convulsions of Donald Trump in another trap, from which it is almost death for the United States to get out.
Central Africa
Recently published by ViceNews, exclusive documents from the American strategic planning center SOCAFRICA indicate another shadow and virtually unknown war that the United States is waging in Africa. Now the American military contingent on this continent is the fastest growing in the world. Moreover, it consists mainly of elite units. Their numbers in Africa have increased from 1% of all deployed overseas in 2006 to more than 17% in 2016. According to the US Special Operations Command, Africa now has the largest contingent of special operations forces in the world - 1,700 soldiers, which allows the US to conduct up to 100 missions simultaneously. The data of this report is indirectly confirmed by the US African Command. Africa Command (AFRICOM).
According to the official version, all these forces are fighting Islamic terrorism in the region. The report is replete with information about Islamic terrorist organizations operating in central Africa and the threats they pose to civilians and governments in the region. However, reports of military clashes with Christian armed groups, which are subject to Islamic terrorist groups, government troops and even UN peacekeepers, do not fit into this picture. The Western propaganda machine is at a loss as to how to present this information and whether to present it at all. At first there was complete silence in the Western media, then individual reports began to appear, and the emphasis in them was on the terrorist nature of the already Christian detachments, describing acts of atrocities, vandalism and the death of many people.
The reason for this situation apparently lies in the fact that in the region, which includes the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, huge deposits of cobalt have been discovered, accounting for 64% of the total world reserves of this metal. Now these deposits are being developed using essentially slave labor, including child labor, and the workers are kept in inhumane conditions. The Washington Post reports that children are working in deadly conditions, and the owner of cobalt mining enterprises is Apple Corporation. Every iPhone and iPad contains a piece of the blood and sweat of children who die in the mines of Central Africa. Western enterprises are also targets for Islamic terrorist groups. Sky News, among a number of security problems in the logistics chain for transporting cobalt delivered by Islamic units, also notes rampant abuse of children, who are mostly Christians.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Christian groups, traditionally at war with Islamic ones, began to attack government troops, UN peacekeepers and, most likely, American special operations forces ensuring the security of cobalt mines and transport routes. In addition, South Sudan traditionally stands behind Christian armed groups in Central Africa, and it is the patrimony of China and Israel. These countries extract cheap oil and other strategic raw materials there, and their sphere of interests has now been invaded by Apple and the investment company First Cobalt, which, with the help of advertising articles in the American and Canadian media, is forming an investment portfolio for the development of cobalt mines in Central Africa.
In any small and poor country, deposits of rare earth metals, instead of prosperity and wealth, bring poverty, hunger and war. And the larger these resources, the more merciless and bloody their development by the interested countries. Now, in any place where these metals occur, a clash of world giants is taking place, threatening to escalate into a large-scale world war. The winner of this commodity war gains future dominance in the global economy and geopolitics, while the loser loses everything.
Russia, practically provided for its own needs with its deposits and resources of Kazakhstan so much that it almost painlessly left the problematic market of Mongolia, can only watch the battle of the world giants, minimizing for itself the consequences of possible conflicts, in order to enter the new formatted world order in the future strong, confident and a powerful country.
Moscow, June 16 - "Vesti.Ekonomika". Few people consider North Korea to be a prosperous country. But there is something that it is really rich in: mineral resources.
North Korea responded to US statements about the end of the era of strategic patience. That is, about the possibility of solving the North Korean problem by force. Will there be a new military conflict on the Korean Peninsula?
Now North Korea is alarming its neighbors with its frequent missile tests and the United States with its attempts to use long-range nuclear missiles capable of hitting American cities. A sixth nuclear test may become inevitable. An attack on the United States or its allies would be suicidal, so Pyongyang is seeking "help" from the international community in exchange for the dismantling of some of its weapons.
But no matter how much North Korea receives from other countries, it will be nothing compared to the value of its largely untapped underground resources.
Estimates of the value of the country's mineral resources have varied widely over the years and have been complicated by secrecy and lack of access to them. According to one estimate from a South Korean mining company, they are worth more than $6 trillion. Another research institute from South Korea predicts their value at $10 trillion.
North Korea has prioritized development of its mining sector since 1970. But while production increased until about 1990 and peaked in 1985, it began to decline after that. In 2012, the number of mines in the country was about 700. Many were poorly functioning and in disrepair. The country lacks the equipment, expertise and even basic infrastructure to properly hit the jackpot that awaits it in the ground.
In April, Lloyd R. Vasey, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted: "North Korean mining production has declined significantly since the early 1990s. It is likely that the average operating rate of existing mine facilities is below 30% of capacity. There is a shortage of mining capacity equipment, North Korea is unable to purchase new equipment due to the difficult economic situation, energy shortages, age and the general poor condition of the power system."
Private mining is illegal in communist North Korea, as are private enterprises in general. The ruling regime under third-generation dictator Kim Jong Un has been known to kick foreign mining companies out of the country or suddenly change the terms of agreements.
Despite all this, the people are so endowed with underground resources that mining accounts for approximately 14% of the economy.
China is the main consumer of this sector. Last September, South Korea's state-run Korea Development Institute said mineral trade between North Korea and China remained a "cash cow" for Pyongyang despite the UN sanctions, and that it accounted for 54% of North Korea's total trade with China in the first half 2016 In 2015, China imported iron ore worth $73 million from North Korea and zinc worth $680 thousand in the first quarter of this year.
North Korea has been particularly active in coal mining in recent years. In 2015, China imported about $1 billion worth of coal from North Korea. Coal remains particularly attractive because it can be mined using relatively simple equipment. Large deposits of the material are located near major ports and on the border with China, which alleviates the problem of poor transport infrastructure in the country.
Experts are discussing the possibility of new tests of missiles and nuclear weapons by the DPRK, as well as the likelihood of a military response from the United States. At the same time, Washington intends to put pressure on Pyongyang economically. North Korea is increasing military spending.
For years, Chinese buyers have purchased coal from North Korea at a much lower market price. Last summer, coal supplies to China accounted for about 40% of all North Korean exports. But global demand for coal is declining as natural gas and renewables gain momentum. Earlier this year, Beijing began restricting its neighbor's coal imports under UN sanctions.
After North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006, the UN tightened sanctions against it. Last year, attention focused on the country's underground resources. In November 2016, the UN adopted a resolution to reduce North Korean coal exports and ban the supply of nickel, copper, zinc and silver. This was followed by a ruling in March 2016 banning the export of gold, vanadium, titanium and rare earth metals.
Decisions targeting the extractive sector could harm the Kim regime. Shortly before they were passed, a 2014 USGS report on the country's mining industry noted that "the mining industry in North Korea is not directly subject to international economic sanctions and is therefore a legally lucrative source of investment trade available to countries". This is no longer the case.
Of course, Pyongyang is adept at evading such sanctions, especially through maritime transport. Periodically, this covert activity becomes apparent during random interceptions of ships. Last August, Egyptian authorities identified a ship loaded with 2,300 tons of iron ore heading from North Korea to the Suez Canal (they found 30,000 hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers under the ore).
Earlier this year, a UN panel of experts concluded that North Korea continues to export banned minerals despite sanctions. They determined that North Korea uses another mineral - gold - along with cash to "completely bypass the formal financial sector."
Overall, however, China's trade with North Korea actually increased by 37.4% in the first quarter compared with the same period last year. Its iron ore imports from North Korea soared 270% in January and February from a year earlier. Coal fell 51.6%.
North Korea's neighbors have long had their eye on a mineral bonanza. About five years ago, China spent about $10 billion on infrastructure projects along its border with North Korea, primarily to create easier access to mineral resources. Conveniently, North Korea's largest iron ore deposits are located right on the border. An analysis of satellite imagery released last October showed mining continues in the area.
China is particularly keen to gain access to North Korea's rare earth minerals. Pyongyang knows about this. And he already punished Beijing in March by suspending metals exports to China in response to trade restrictions on coal. Meanwhile, Russia, also on the border with North Korea, developed plans in 2014 to overhaul North Korea's railways in exchange for access to the country's mineral resources. This particular plan is on hold for now, but the general sentiment is still alive.
But South Korea has its own plans for mineral resources. She sees them as a way to pay for reunification (if it finally happens), which is expected to take decades and cost hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars (Germany knows a thing or two about this). Repairing North Korea's decrepit infrastructure, including its aging railway line, will be part of the huge cost.
In May, South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport invited companies to submit proposals for possible infrastructure projects in North Korea, especially those related to the mining sector. It argued that paid land access could "cover the cost of repairing North Korea's poor infrastructure." This was, of course, a little premature. Now South Korea and the world are facing a bully in mineral-rich North Korea.
The North Korean crisis in relations with the United States, in terms of the level of aggressive rhetoric, is teetering on the brink of a hot conflict. The impulsive reaction of Donald Trump, who is in the grip of the Deep State, only contributes to the escalation, making him look like a weak leader who is unable to rid America of the nuclear threat. This strategy today benefits the opponents of the new American president from among the neoconservatives and Russophobes grouped around Hillary Clinton, John McCain and the Pentagon.
American analyst Phil Butler discovered sensational connections between Trump’s key opponents and the North Korean regime and believes that every time there is an escalation with the United States, there are customers in Washington. This is evidenced by a number of indirect signs associated with the raw material for the production of ballistic missiles - molybdenum. This rare metal is used to create superalloys used in jet engines and other high-temperature environments.
North Korea has the largest reserves of this rare earth metal in the world, estimated at $10 trillion. However, its main dealer is located in McCain's home state of Arizona. The American company Freeport McMoran is a monopolist on the world market of molybdenum ores, and it is headed by a friend of the Clintons and Rothschilds, Richard Adkerson. He also serves on the advisory board of the Kissinger Institute in China and the US and is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, which is dedicated to nothing less than "designing the future."
Of course, this coincidence is not enough to conclude that Freeport McMoran is directly connected to Pyongyang. However, another coincidence at the Pentagon suggests that the US molybdenum monopoly is linked to North Korea's missile program. We are talking about the European supplier of industrial smuggling to North Korea - the German export company Optronic near Munich. In 2003, it was caught illegally supplying 22 tons of aluminum pipes for the construction of gas centrifuges to produce enriched uranium for nuclear weapons on board the French cargo ship Ville de Virgo.
Optronic director Hans Werner Trappel was convicted in Germany, but leads from him stretched to the CIA and the Pentagon. According to Dutch researcher Holger Eckhoff, a member of the CDU, Trappel was associated with many CIA projects in Germany. During his imprisonment, Optronic continued to operate under the leadership of his wife Elizabeth, but changed its specialization. She began recruiting temporary personnel for US military exercises in Eastern Europe, in particular, extras playing the role of the local population.
Specifically, Optronic's Facebook profile is linked to NATO's Joint Multinational Readiness Center for Military Training in Bavaria (JMRC). It turns out that the company of a man convicted of trying to provide illegal nuclear weapons components to North Korea is now working with the Pentagon to deploy NATO missions. Phil Butler believes that the 7th Army Joint Training Command is using international criminals to train for invasion of Ukraine, Russia, Poland or anywhere in Eastern Europe.
This raises the question: Was Trappel working with the Americans before the French and Germans caught him shipping centrifuge parts to Pyongyang? Yes, he collaborated with the CIA, and therefore the American intelligence services could not help but know what danger their German resident posed to the United States. The CIA may have signaled to its European counterparts to stop the smuggling of materials for North Korea's nuclear weapons.
However, then other figures associated with the highest American establishment and the Pentagon emerge from the shadow of the CIA. Indeed, in addition to Trump’s political default, North Korea’s nuclear blackmail makes it possible to raise the status of the US 7th Fleet as the main guarantor of security in the Asia-Pacific region, justify the allocation of funds for the nuclear modernization program until 2030, and, at the initiative of the Rothschilds, collapse the Tokyo stock exchange. In this regard, the German Trappel campaign, like its owner himself, embodies the connection between American interests and the development of the North Korean nuclear program.
- 06.12.2013
SRE Minerals announced the discovery of the largest deposit of rare earth elements in North Korea
Jeongju is projected to become the largest rare earth deposit in the world. Mineral reserves at the project are estimated at trillions of dollars
General information
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) is located in eastern Asia, in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. It has a land border with three countries: China along the Yalu River, Russia along the Tuman River and South Korea. In the west it is washed by the Yellow Sea and the Korean Gulf, and in the east by the Sea of Japan.
Total area: 120,540 km2, land: 120,410 km2, water: 130 km2. Land border: total 1,673 km. The length of the border with: China - 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km. Coastline length: 2,495 km.
The government of the DPRK has declared the country's territorial waters to be the water area adjacent to the coast within a 12-mile zone (22,224 km). In addition, foreign ships and aircraft cannot enter the zone located from the coast at a distance of up to 92.6 km in the Sea of Japan and 370.4 km in the Yellow Sea.
The waters in the Yellow Sea between the DPRK and South Korea are divided by the disputed Northern Border Line, unilaterally created by the American military command in the early 50s of the 20th century and not officially recognized by the DPRK government
North Korea is rich in mineral resources. Explored coal reserves in North Korea are estimated at 6.6 billion tons. The reserves are represented by anthracite (Pyongyang basin, middle reaches of the Taedong River, East Korean Mountains) and brown coal (Tumangan and Anju basins).
Large iron ore deposits of Musan and Yllul are located in the northeast and west of the DPRK. Iron ore deposits are usually shallow and are mined by opencast mining. The iron content in the ore is estimated at 40-65%. The ore deposits include polymetallic ones with a high content of lead and zinc (Komdok, Kandon), copper ores (Gapsan), manganese ores (Kimhwa), chrome ores (Pureong), nickel ores (Najin - DPRK), cobalt ores (Tancheon), tungsten ores (Mannyeon), molybdenum ores (Kosan, Kumgang). Gold deposits are also being developed from metallic minerals (Unsan, Suan - DPRK). North Korea has the world's largest graphite deposits (Obok - DPRK) and significant magnesite deposits (Tancheon, etc.).
Barium deposits are being developed. Monazite and thorium have been discovered, which are used in nuclear energy and the military industry.
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA (Cor. Joseon minju-jui inmin gongwaguk). North Korea is a state in the northern part of Korea. Area 121.2 thousand km 2. Population: about 20 million people (1984). The capital is Pyongyang. Administratively, it consists of 9 provinces, in addition to Pyongyang, Nampo, Kaesong are allocated into special administrative units (with the rights of a province). The monetary unit is the won.
General characteristics of the farm. In the total social product, the share of industry is about 70%, agriculture - 15%. Non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy, mining, engineering and other industries are developing at a rapid pace. Fuel and energy balance of the DPRK (1983%): coal 87, oil 10 (imports), hydropower 3. Electricity production 25.0 billion kWh (1983). The length of railways is over 6 thousand km, incl. electrified 4.7 thousand km; highways over 21 thousand km (1983). Rail transport accounts for about 90% of total freight turnover. The main seaports on the east coast are Najin, Chongjin, Heungnam and Wonsan, and on the west - Nampo, Songnim, Haeju.
Minerals. The DPRK is rich in various types, incl. coal, ores of ferrous, non-ferrous, rare and noble metals, as well as non-metallic raw materials.
Coal. The main periods of coal accumulation in Korea are late Carboniferous - early Permian, late - early Permian, and. The main coal basins are: Northern (Kechon, Yongdong, Tokchon and others deposits), Southern (Hungnyeon, Kandon, Sadong deposits, etc.), Kowon (Kowon and Ungok deposits). The main coal reserves in the country are concentrated in the Upper Paleozoic sediments (6 industrial coal seams with a seam thickness of up to 5-8 m). Upper Triassic - Lower Jurassic coals are much less common and their industrial importance is small, although in some cases the thickness of the seams reaches 20 m. The coals are mainly powdery and finely lumpy anthracites. Specific lower calorific value 22.1-32.8 MJ/kg, ash content 8.00-25.85%, volatile content 3.5-9.15%.
In the DPRK, 25% of the reserves are Paleogene-Neogene brown coals, the deposits of which are mainly concentrated in the north of the country (Aoji, Kogonwon, Hamyeon, Onson, Kunsim, etc. deposits). Specific lower calorific value 14.7-25.2 MJ/kg, ash content 3.51-33.71%, volatile content 43.6-52.4%. Large deposits of brown coal are located in the areas of Anju (Pyongan-nam-do province) and Yongheung (Hamgyong-nam-do province). Most of the predicted coal resources in the country relate to depths of over 600-700 m.
Over 90 iron ore deposits are known on the territory of the DPRK, half of which are of practical interest. The main ones: Musan, Ellul, Ywon, Hasung, Chaeryeong and Eunnyeong. The Fe content in ores ranges from 30-42 to 55-70%. Harmful impurities are usually absent. Ore bodies are represented by ferruginous quartzites, hematite layers, as well as hematite and siderite-hematite veins. The thickness of the ore bodies is 1-6 m, the length is up to 8 m. The largest Musan deposit is located in the northeast of the country. Ferrous (magnetite) quartzites of the deposit contain 25-60% Fe, the average content is 38-39%. The ore contains a small amount of Mn (0.08-0.30%), Ti (from traces to 0.03%). The second largest reserves is the Yllul field (Hwanghae-namdo province); The ores of the deposit are characterized by a high Fe content (on average 54%).
The country has a number of small deposits of manganese ores of various genetic types - hydrothermal, sedimentary and residual. One of the largest is the Chhorwon field, located in Gangwon Province. The deposit is composed of clayey-sericite shales, dolomites, limestones, etc. Ore bodies occur predominantly in dolomites in agreement with the host rocks. The thickness of the ore bodies is 5-60 cm. Ore minerals are manganodolomite.
The largest deposit of tungsten ores is the Mannyon deposit, less significant are Gyeongsu and Cheongchang. At the Mannyon deposit, quartz-wolframite veins with nested-disseminated mineralization can be traced in a zone up to 4 km long and along a dip of 570 m. The average thickness of the veins is 1 m. The WO 3 content is 0.7-1.0%. Several dozen quartz-wolframite veins are known at the Gyeongsu deposit, which can be traced along the strike for several hundred meters (sometimes over 1 km) and several hundred meters along the dip. The average thickness of the veins is 1 m. Deposits of molybdenum ores are Kumgan and Puson. At the Kumgang tungsten-molybdenum deposit, there are quartz veins, as well as areas of greisenized granites with inclusions of wolframite and molybdenite. At the Pusong molybdenum deposit, molybdenite is associated with numerous quartz veins.
The largest gold deposits in the DPRK are Holdong, Suan (Hwanghae Province), Songheung (Pyongan Province), Taeyudong, Unsan, Sinnyeon (Pyongan Province). The main deposits, Holdon and Suan, belong to skarn copper-gold deposits. Skarn bodies with disseminated mineralization are sheet-like, lens-shaped, and sometimes tube-shaped; can be traced along the strike from 30 to 1200 m and along the dip from 20 to 150 m. Their thickness is from 0.5 to 30 m.
The main deposits of copper ore are concentrated in the north of the country. The largest are the Hwapyeong, Kapsan, and Sannon deposits. At the Hwapyeong deposit, skarn ore bodies with a length of 10.5-150 m and an average thickness of 1.5 m have a complex pillar-, lens- and vein-like shape. At the Kapsan deposit, disseminated mineralization is confined to the dolomite horizon. The length of the ore bodies is 100-200 m, the thickness is 1-10 m. Sheet-like bodies of veinlet-disseminated ores of the Sannon deposit are confined to interlayers of tourmaline and quartz-biotite schists, near contacts with Precambrian granites. Ore minerals are represented by chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite and. The Cu content in ores is 0.4-1.6%.
Cobalt ores are found either in complex copper-cobalt deposits (Sannon) or form small independent deposits (Hweryeong). At the Hweryong deposit, quartz-calcite-amphibole veins contain disseminated cobalt-bearing arsenopyrite, löllingite, and rarely chalcopyrite. Erythrin is present in the oxidation zone. The thickness of the veins ranges from 10-15 to 50-90 cm, length up to 700 m.
In the DPRK, small igneous (Samhae, Puyundong, etc.) and hydrothermal (Deoksan, etc.) deposits of nickel ores are known. The Samhae deposit (Hamgyong-Pukdo) is confined to the gabbro-peridotite massif of Jurassic age. The mineralization is associated with small schlierens of norite-pyroxenite. The main ore minerals are pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite, less commonly pyrite, embedded in rocks or forming small veins and nest-like clusters. The ores also contain Cu and Co. Ni:Cu ratio 2-2.5:1. The Toksan deposit (Hamgyong-Namdo) is confined to thin gabbro-diabase dikes, in which nickel-bearing pyrrhotite and other sulfides form dissemination and nested accumulations.
The largest number of lead-zinc ore deposits are concentrated in the northeast (over 20 deposits, including the largest), the north and the center of the country. Significant reserves are concentrated in the Komdok and Noundong deposits in Hamgyong-namdo province. In the first, the mineralization zone can be traced in a sublatitudinal direction for 9 km. Occurs among Lower Proterozoic quartz-mica schists and foliated quartzites. Ore bodies in the form of lenses, as a rule, are located en echelon, have complex outlines and banded structure. Ore minerals are mainly sulfides. In the main lead-zinc deposits, the Pb:Zn ratio ranges from 2:1 to 1:5. Associated components: Ag, Sb, Cd, Bi, Ge, Ga, Au, Cu, Sn.
The DPRK has significant reserves of magnesite, concentrated mainly in the Namgye, Yongyang and Taehwayangdong deposits. The Namge field is located in Paegam County, Yangang Province. Magnesite forms 3 vein- and lens-shaped bodies, consistent with the host Lower Proterozoic dolomites. The length of the bodies is up to 200 m, the thickness is 50 m. The Yongyang deposit is located in Gwancheon County, Hamgyongnam-do Province. Among the marbled limestones and dolomites, there are vein-like magnesite bodies up to 2.5 km long and 10 m thick. The Taehwayandong deposit is located southeast of the Namge deposit. Lens- and vein-like bodies of magnesite and talc stone are confined to the zone of disturbance in the Lower Proterozoic limestones and dolomites. The length of the bodies is up to 2 km with a maximum thickness of 400-500 m.
Among the numerous fluorite deposits, the main groups of deposits are Cheongsokturi (Hwanghae-namdo province) and Chunghwa-Sandong (Pyongan-namdo province). On the first fluorite, vein-like bodies of a latitudinal strike with a steep, almost vertical dip of a large extent and a thickness of 1-3 m are composed. The ore bodies occur among Upper Proterozoic clayey shales with limestone interlayers.
Among other types of non-metallic minerals, the most significant are: Mandok, Pudon and Ilgon pyrite deposits with veinlet and disseminated mineralization in sedimentary-metamorphic formations at contacts with granite intrusions; deposits of phosphate raw materials (apatite) Sinphun and Yongyu, confined to packs of interlayered marbles and crystalline schists; Obok and Tongban graphite deposits. In addition, the country has relatively small but numerous deposits of talc (Tebo, Ivon, etc.), barite (Chhando), mica (and), asbestos, kaolin, allite shale, diatomite and various building materials. Among the latter, the Lower Paleozoic limestones, used as cement raw materials, brick and refractory clays, quartz sands, are of greatest importance. Large quarries for the extraction of cement limestone are located in the areas of the city. Chongjin, Pyongyang, Pongsan and Haeju, quartz sand deposits in the vicinity of the cities. Hamhung, Pyongyang, Haeju.
General characteristics. Mining is one of the leading sectors of the DPRK economy. It satisfies the country’s needs for many types of mineral raw materials (Table 1, map).
North Korea imports oil, petroleum products, and coke. After the establishment of people's power, a radical structural transformation of industry took place. Manufacturing industries have received priority development. The share of the mining industry in total production decreased from 15.7% in 1947 to 2.8% in 1965. At the same time, in the process of industrialization, the gross output of the mining industry in 1965 compared to 1949 increased almost 5 times. The most rapid growth in investment in the fuel and mining industries was observed in 1961-70. The average annual share of investment in these industries in 1954-61 was 13.5%; in 1957-60 - 25.9%; in 1963-64 - 32%; in 1968 - 40.2% of all allocations to industry. A large amount of capital construction has been completed in the mining industry. A number of new mineral deposits were developed, new mines and quarries came into operation. Many existing mining enterprises have undergone radical technical reconstruction. In the 60s Labor productivity at industry enterprises increased 2-3 times. In 1980-81, 31.5% of all capital investments in industry were directed to the needs of the extractive industries.
Coal mining. The 1950-53 war caused enormous damage to the coal industry (production volume in 1953 decreased by 3 times compared to 1949). The reconstruction of existing coal mining enterprises and the construction of new ones made it possible to increase the production capacity of the coal industry to 11.8 million tons in 1961. In subsequent years, work continued on the development of mines and the mechanization of production processes. There has been a technical re-equipment of the coal industry, which was facilitated by a 10-fold increase in the number of engineering and technical workers employed in the industry. Coal production in 1983 reached 50 million tons. There are 9 coal mining associations in the country, 6 of them extract anthracite, 2 and 1 both types of coal. 60% of production is anthracite. Each association includes 4-7 coal mining enterprises. Development predominates. Most of the operating mines have a capacity of over 0.3 million tons per year (the largest of them are 1-2 million tons) and provide more than 80% of total production.
The thickness of the developed anthracite seams is 0.8-20 m, the dip angles are mainly up to 25°. Layers of complex structure. Development is carried out in mountainous areas, some of the mine fields are opened by adits. The thickness of the overburden is predominantly 300-350 m. Various mining systems are used (long and short faces). Breaking using drilling and blasting. Delivery is conveyor and gravity. In the main haulage workings, contact electric locomotives are used, the mounting is predominantly wooden.
The developed brown coal deposits are heavily watered. The thickness of the layers ranges from 0.8 to 12 m, the dip angles are from 4 to 9°. The average development depth is 300-400 m, the maximum is 500-600 m. The deposits are mainly opened by inclined shafts. The predominant development system is long pillars along the strike, the length of the longwalls is 60-80 m. Preparatory workings are carried out mainly by drilling and blasting with mechanized loading. A number of mines operate tunneling machines. Transport of rock masses is mainly conveyor. In total in coal mines in the early 80s. There were about 15 complex mechanized longwalls in operation. The most powerful open-pit mining enterprise is the Yongheung brown coal mine with an annual capacity of 1.5 million tons, built with the technical assistance of CCCP.
The country's iron ore mining is based on significant ore reserves. At the largest deposit of Musan (Hamgyong-buk-do province), iron ore is mined by open-pit mining. The quarry is equipped with modern domestic and imported equipment. The ore is enriched by magnetic separation to 50-60% of the concentrate at two processing plants with a capacity of 2 and 4 million tons of iron ore concentrate per year. Ore enrichment capacity increased from 2 million tons in 1956 to 6 million tons in 1980. The main consumers are the plant named after. Kim Chhaeka and the iron plant in Chongjin. The concentrate is transported mainly via a 98 km long ore pipeline (70% of the delivered concentrate), as well as by rail. In the early 80s, work began on the construction of a second ore pipeline. In 2nd place in terms of the volume of explored reserves and the level of iron ore production is the Yllul deposit (Hwanghae-namdo province), which is developed by open-pit mining. The high iron content in the ore allows it to be used without prior enrichment. The main consumer of ore is the Hwanghae plant in Songnim. Ore is transported by sea through the port of Geumsan and by rail. In 1980, over 1 million tons of ore were mined at this deposit. Ore is also mined (mainly underground) at the Cheryon, Iwon, Taetkhan, Cheongdong, Tokson, Tokhen and other mines.
Tungsten ores are mined mainly in the central part of the country. Development - underground. The largest Mannyon deposit was discovered by mine shafts to a depth of 700-800 m from the surface. Transportation of ore to the mine shafts by electric locomotives. At the stages of mining and transportation, manual sorting of rich ores is carried out, which are sent to a special one. The remaining ore with an average WO 3 content of 0.15-0.20% is sent to an underground processing plant (located at a depth of 40-50 m). The factory's capacity is 5 thousand tons of ore per day. During enrichment, gravity and sulfide-flotation schemes are used. A concentrate is obtained with a WO 3 content of 60-65%.
Mining of non-ferrous metal ores is mainly carried out underground and is concentrated mainly in the north of the country. Deposits of lead-zinc and copper ores are opened by adits, often in combination with vertical or inclined shafts. On the upper horizons of the Komdok deposit in the zone of development of oxidized ores, a ceiling-bench mining system is used; on the lower ones, represented by sulfide ores, there is a system with ore storage. Ore recovery rate is 80-90%. Transportation of ore to processing plants - by trolleys and belt conveyors. Ore beneficiation - mainly by flotation. At the Komdok lead-zinc deposit, the total annual capacity of 3 processing plants is 14.2 million tons of ore per year (or in terms of metal 360 thousand tons of Zn and 240 thousand tons of Pb). The capacity of the processing plant at the Kapsan copper deposit is 560 thousand tons of copper concentrate per year, at the Puryeong nickel deposit - 280 thousand tons of ore, at the Mandok pyrite deposit - 560 thousand tons of ore. For the development of complex copper-gold-silver ores (Songheung, Holdong, etc. deposits) mine fields of mineral resources, geological departments under the ministries of coal, metallurgical and chemical industries; scientific research in the field of geology and mining - at the Geological Institute of the DPRK Academy of Sciences (Pyongyang), research and design institutes under the relevant ministries. Mining and geological personnel are trained by the Kim Il Sung and Kim Chhaek University in Pyongyang, and a number of universities at large mining enterprises. The main periodicals are the magazine “Chijil kwa chiri” and “Kwanon kisul”. In addition, articles on geology and mining are published in the "Bulletins..." of the University. Kim Il Sung, Polytechnic Institute named after. Kim Chaeka, DPRK Academy of Sciences.
