Sangdong mine
Tungsten mine in Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province, South Korea
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The Sangdong mine located in South Korea is one of the largest tungsten mines in the world.[1][2]
- Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province
- South Korea
- 37°9′N 128°50′E
Site area KTMC period (Old adit of Taebaek Level, 684m) | |
 Interactive map of Sangdong mine | |
| Location |
|
|---|---|
| Products | Tungsten |
| Type | Open-stope |
| Discovered | 1916 |
| Active | 1930–1994, and 2024–present |
| Company | Almonty Korea Tungsten |
| Website | www |
| Acquired | 2001 |
Sangdong Mine was a main business station for tungsten concentrate production of Korea Tungsten Mining Co. (KTMC). The scale and quality of Sangdong tungsten and molybdenum production) drove South Korean economic development after the Korean War.
A decade after the closure of the KTMC in 1994, mining rights to the Sangdong mine were acquired by Woulfe Mining Corporation through Sewoo Mining Corporation in 2006. In 2015, Almonty Industries acquired Woulfe Mining Corporation and established Almonty Korea Tungsten Corporation (formerly Sangdong Mining Corporation), which operates as a subsidiary of Almonty Industries.[3][4]
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History
In 1916, tungsten was discovered in Sangdong. In the 1960s, the Sangdong mine accounted for 70% of South Korea's export earnings. In 1994, the mine closed amidst cheaper supplies from China.[5] The mine was relaunched in 2026[6] amidst concerns overreliance on China.[5]
1916–1994
| Apr. | 1916 | Discover outcrop of Sangdong mine by Mr Sunwon Hwang. |
| 1930 | Application of “Sublevel Stopping” mining method. | |
| Feb. | 1934 | Acquisition by Japanese Solim Mining Corporation. |
| Oct. | 1946 | Company name changed from Solim Tungsten Mining Company to Joseon Tungsten Mining Company. |
| Jan. | 1947 | Statement “Korean tungsten quality is the standard in global market” announced by USA national assay office. |
| Feb. | 1947 | Sangdong tungsten scheelite was exported to the US for the first time. |
| Apr. | 1947 | Statement “Sangdong Mine, producing monthly 100M/T of high quality tungsten concentrate with over 60% grade” announced by Minister Archer L. Lerch of USA military government. |
| Oct. | 1949 | Company name changed from Joseon Tungsten Mining Company to Korea Tungsten Mining Company. |
| Mar. | 1952 | Korea-USA Tungsten Trade Agreement. |
| Sep | 1952 | Official launching of Korea Tungsten Mining Co., Ltd. |
| Mar. | 1954 | Expiration of “Korea-USA Tungsten Agreement” and no extension due to a tungsten glut and price decline in the market. |
| Jun. | 1956 | Tunneling of the 1st Incline from Sangdong gallery |
| May. | 1959 | Completion of chemical processing plant construction |
| Jun. | 1959 | Mining footwall of Sangdong gallery / Ventilation tunneling of Taebaek gallery. |
| Dec. | 1960 | Completion of industrial water piping work from village (Chilyangee) stream. |
| Sep. | 1961 | Construction of Metal Bismuth smelting factory. |
| Feb. | 1962 | Completion of concentrate storage construction. |
| Sep. | 1963 | Install 100HP pump and pump room for flooding prevention on Level – 6. |
| Feb. | 1965 | Production of Metal Bismuth. |
| Aug. | 1965 | Tunneling of Baekun haulage gallery. |
| Dec. | 1965 | Tunneling of Taebaek gallery |
| Apr. | 1966 | Beginning of sand filling construction test (Apr.~Dec.) |
| May. | 1966 | Verification of Top Slicing mine method and adoption |
| Sep. | 1967 | Vertical shaft construction groundbreaking |
| Oct. | 1968 | Tunneling of Level 11 |
| Dec. | 1969 | Beginning of re-mining from Level 1 and 10 / Tunneling of Level 12 |
| May. | 1970 | Tunneling of Cross on Level 10 |
| Aug. | 1970 | Construction of the 2nd processing plant (70ton/day) |
| Sep. | 1970 | Sangdong Mine flood damage by localized torrential downpour |
| Dec. | 1970 | Re-mining from Level 2 and 3 / Chute installation on Level 6,7,8,9,10 |
| May. | 1971 | Chute installation from Sangdong gallery to Baekgun gallery |
| Dec. | 1971 | Tunneling of Sangdong inclined ventilation gallery |
| Oct. | 1972 | Replacement of wooden support by concrete support in gallery. |
| Dec. | 1972 | APT plant completion (3ton/day) |
| Apr. | 1973 | Closing of the 3rd Incline. |
| May. | 1973 | Beginning of the 1st tailing dam construction |
| Aug. | 1975 | Tunneling of Cross on Level 16 |
| Feb. | 1978 | Tunneling of Cross on Level 15 |
| Jul. | 1979 | The 1st tailing dam flood damage by localized torrential downpour |
| Nov. | 1979 | Re-mining from Jangsan gallery |
| Apr. | 1980 | Apply “Large hole burn cut method” as Sangdong blasting process. |
| Aug. | 1982 | Completion of the 2nd tailing storage |
| Feb. | 1992 | Company name changed from “Korea Tungsten Mining Corporation” to Korea Tungsten Corporation". |
| Feb. | 1994 | Sangdong Mine closed |
2001–2015
| Jun. | 2001 | Sangdong mining concession registered by Sewoo Mining Corp. |
| Jan. | 2007 | Sangdong mining concession transferred to Orient Hard Metals Holdings Korea Corp. |
| Mar. | 2010 | Company name “Orient Hard Metals Holdings Korea Corp.” changed to Sangdong Mining Corp. |
| Sep. | 2015 | Woulfe Mining Corp. (100% parent company of Sangdong Mining Corp.) acquired by Almonty Industries Inc. |
Geology
In the perspective of regional geology, the Korean Peninsula is on the eastern margins of the North China-Korea platform underlaid by three blocks of Archean age; the Nangrim-Pyeongnam Block, the Gyeonggi and Yeongnam Massifs which are separated by the northeast–southwest direction Imjingang and the Okcheon belts of Phanerozoic age. The Sangdong mine is situated in the northeast part of the Okcheon Belt.[8]
The lithology of Sangdong can be divided into three main zones such as the Pungcheon Formation of The Great Limestone, the Myobong Formation and the Jangsan Quartize from the upper and the lower in the cross-sectional diagram. The Sangdong Mine contains a skarn-type deposit with altered horizons of the Cambrian-age Myobong Formation. The metamorphosed strata include a biotite granite unit located at a depth of 700m which was intersected during exploratory drilling at 700m below. There is the Jangsan quartzite unit in the lower most area underneath the Myobong unit. The Great Limestone unit completes the series of altered horizons overlying the Myobong Formation.[9] There are certain terms on the horizons such as the Hanging Wall, Main, and Footwall horizons based on its geological features from the uppermost to lowermost regions. The mineralised zone strikes east–west direction and dips to the north at between 15° and 30° with extensions of 1.3 km and 1.5 km.
