Production, refining and reserves
| Commodity | Metric | Value | World rank · share | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | Mine production 2022 | 7,000 t Cu content | #44 · 0% | USGS Minerals Yearbook 2022 (copper), table 20 |
| Graphite (natural) | Mine production 2025 | 8,000 t natural graphite | #9 · 0.4% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Graphite (natural) | Reserves 2025 | 2 million t natural graphite | #12 · 0.6% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Barite | Mine production 2005 | 70,000 t barite | — | USGS MCS 2006 |
| Magnesite | Mine production 2019 | 50,000 t gross weight magnesite | — | USGS MCS 2020 |
| Magnesite | Reserves 2019 | 2,300 million t gross weight magnesite | #1 · 27% | USGS MCS 2020 |
| Tungsten | Mine production 2025 | 2,000 t W content | #4 · 2% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Tungsten | Reserves 2025 | 29,000 t W content | #6 · 0.6% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Zinc | Mine production 2023 | 10,000 t Zn content | #41 · 0.1% | USGS Minerals Yearbook 2023 (zinc, tables-only release), table 16 |
| Molybdenum | Mine production 2025 | 800 t Mo content | #14 · 0.3% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Molybdenum | Reserves 2025 | 78,000 t Mo content | #9 · 0.5% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Lead | Mine production 2016 | 35,000 t Pb content | — | USGS MCS 2017 |
Policies and export measures
Policy tracker →No policies recorded yet.
Trade in critical minerals
Exports 2024$72 m
- Tungsten$31 mto China 100%
- Silicon$22 mto China 100%
- Molybdenum$16 mto China 92%, Austria 4%, Spain 3% · 1 more
- Manganese$1 mto Austria 66%, Poland 34%
- Aluminium$456 kto Poland 92%, Thailand 8%
- Zinc$187 kto Indonesia 100%
- Antimony$80 kto Spain 100%
- Tantalum*$20 kto China 100%
and 2 more commodities
Imports 2024$1 m
- Alumina$521 kfrom China 100%
- Aluminium$428 kfrom Nigeria 100%
- Manganese$71 kfrom China 100%
- Lithium*$70 kfrom China 100%
- Boron$52 kfrom China 100%
- Silicon$21 kfrom China 100%
- Zirconium (zircon)$1 kfrom China 100%
Trade values in current US dollars (ores, concentrates, intermediates, chemicals and refined metal), not prices. * Includes HS codes that also cover other products. Source: CEPII BACI (HS22), Etalab Open Licence 2.0 — details.
Fiscal regime for mining
No fiscal terms recorded for North Korea yet.
Mines and facilities (5)
- Heungsan graphite mineMine · In production · South HwanghaeGraphite (natural)
- Hyesan Youth copper mineMine · In production · RyanggangCopper
- Jeongchon graphite mineMine · In production · South HwanghaeGraphite (natural)
- Komdok zinc-lead mineMine · In production · South HamgyongZinc, Lead
- Man-nyon tungsten mineMine · In production · North HwanghaeTungsten
Latest news
All news →No news items for North Korea yet.