NICKEL AND COBALT RESOURCES IN NORTH KOREA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700100540-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 25, 2011
• Sequence Number: 540
• Publication Date: February 19, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/25 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700100540-9
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENC~AGtNGY
REPOR
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY
Korea DATE OF
INFORMATION
.1930 - 1950
SUBJECT
Econo
~ -Mining, nickel, cobalt
HOW
DATE DIST.
I ~ Feb 1953
PUBLISHED
Monthly, semiannual, annual
publications
WHERE
PUBLISHED
Seoul; Pyongyang N0. OF PAGES
6
DATE
PUBLISHED
1933 - 1950
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
~omment: The following report summarizes information avail-
able in FDD oa nickel. and cobalt resources is North Korea.. The in-
formation dates from 1933 to 1950. The table on nickel and cobalt
mince was prepared by cuwpiling data obtained from sources indicated.
Names of some ores were given in English in the original sources,
and these spellings have been retained unless their identities have
been definitely established.
In the absence of information on nickel and cobalt resources in
North Korea after 19u5, official price lists for nickel and extraction
yercentage for nickel ore hao~e been reproduced from ,forth Korean
official publications.
Numbers in parentheses refer to appended sourcea~
The Chosen no Kobutsu Shigen to aono Kogyo, published in 1943, listed the
following mines in Ho:^th Korea as supplying nickel to Japan: Ch'ongam Mine,
Ich'on Nickel Mine, Sokkye Mine, Sumitomo Gold Mine, and Unaong Bickel Mine.
The 'Ich'on Nickel t41ne produced nickel contained in pyrite and xas considered
one of the most promising nickel mines in Korea. Both the Ich'on and the
Unsong mines pzoduced ores with 20 percent or more nickel content, xhile the
Sumitomo and the Sokkye sines produced ores xith about 2 percent nickel content,,
and the Cn'ongam Mine produced ores containing about C.2 percent nickel. The
nickel-bearing ores from the latter mine occurred in large quantities among
gold ores but the nickel ores xere of such lox grade that they xere considered
to have no commercial value. Cobalt xas produced in small quantities at Roksan
and at 'the Wondoag Cold Mine.(1)'
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDEiPTIAL
NAw' I NSRB DISTRIBUTION r-
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 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/25 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700100540-9
Cobaltite and erythrite ores ware .discovered at the Nondong Gold }line by
the Mining Section oP the Government-General oY Korea in 1932 'according to
Chosen Kogyo Kaishi, published in 1933. These minerals, contained in quartz,
occurred abundantly is small crystals about one millimeter in diameter, and
were of silver color With s trace of pink. The cobaltite obtair,~d in this
-area contained large quantities of cobalt and arsenic, and about one percent
of nickel: (2)
According to Chosen Henkan 1y45. the Ich~on ainaei, and Hamhung mines ~rere
the three maJor nickel mines in Horth Korea. around that time, The same eaurce
also states that the Japanese government directed its main effort toward de-
velopment of these three mines during 191tb.(3) However, other available docu-
ments do not mention the Ginsei and Hamhung mines as producing nickel.
~ee table on Following page]
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/25: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700100540-9
Hiekel and Cobalt Mlnee in Aorth Korea
. APProximate
flame of Mire Ore Location Coordinates
Ch'ongem Rickel Ch'ongam-rayon, 42 O1 ft
Puryong-gun: 129 60 E
Hemgyong-pukto
HG cld ang Bickel Hoengch'on-rayon, 39 32 ft
Yonghung-gun, 127 14 E
Hamgyong-namdo
Hoeryong
Cobalt
Hieeen Hiekel Ipkvan-rayon, 40 5t H
~A~..Y~.l v-___~ _._ ?iyw -L ..
Hokean Cobalt
Sokkye ftiekel
Sumitomo
Gold
?ftickel
Taein Hiekel
P'elul-rayon,
42 25 H
Hoeryong-gun,
IIamgyong-pukto
129 45 E
Su~in-rayon,
40 12 ft
IIi~u-gun,
P'yongan-pukto
124 32 8
%umaong-rayon,
38 25 B
%umhva-gun,
Kangvon-do
127 36 E
Ipkvan-rayon,
40 58 H
-ate,
P'yongan-pukto
126 36 E
fto data
1,000,000
105,000
Ho data
462,000
Ho data
Ho data
769,000
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Smaltite P'slul-rayon, 42 25 B
Hoeryong-gun, 129.45 E
Hamgyong-pukto
 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/25 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000700100540-9
Acme of Mine
Ore
Location
Approximate
Coordinates
T'omak-dong
Rickel-dolomite,.
T'omak-dung,
~1 52 R
aickel=chlorite,
Ch'ong?-rayon,
~ 50 E
Toil
nickel-breunrierite,
nepuite, nickel-
bearing antigorite
Air_kel
Puryong-gua,
Hamgyong-oukto
Aamduil-rayon,
4O28R
Tanch'on-gun,
128 54 E
Dnsong
Rickel
Rickel
Hamgyong=namdo
Unsong-~
~ 39 R..
cobalt
Aamduil-rayon
129 O1 E
Hondong
G
ld
nickel-bearing
pyrrhotite
Cobaltite,
Tanch'on-gun,
Hamgyong-nsmdo
Changyon-ni,
38 16 A
o
Erythrite
Hondo
~ -fin'
~'S 06 E
Aot given
(cobalt bloom)
Rickel
g~
sue,
Kangvon-do
P-,ilc-rayon,
38 Ok 7
InJe-bun,
~ '
128 10 E
_
Rot given R
ickel
Kangvon-do
Kansong-rayon,
3g ~ g
Rosong-gun,
128 28 E
n-o~ given R
ickel
Sangvon-do
Honbuk-rayon, ~
98 18 R
Sumhvn-guri,
127 28 B
ICangvon-do
*One tsubo equals 3.95 square yards
Area. in Tsubo* Source
Ro data ((~
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/25: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700100540-9
Ihformation on cobalt and nickel after 1945 is not available in FDD.
The fo ing data taken Yrom official North Korean publications are
is nn a ort to thrax some light on the recent situation on nickel resourscetin
North a,
According to NaeRak P.ongbo Purok No 4 end Ao 7, published in 1948 sad 1950,
respectively, the official prices of nickel ores in North Rorea for 1948 and
1950, indicated nickel content vere as folloxs:
kel Content (4,5)
in
Official Price (in Rorth Korean xoa per
short ton
2
(4)
~
(5)
1.0
1
1
1,302
6
.
1.2
1,375
95
1
001
1.3
1
521
,
1
061
1.4
,
,
1
106
1.5
1,595
,
1
150
1.6
1'668
,
1
195
1,7
1,741
,
1
255
1
8
1,814
,
.
1
1,887
1,315
1
.9
2.0
2
0
4
,374
1
434
2.1
,
3
'
1
494
2
2
2'127
,
1
.
2.3
2,221
,554
1
614
2.4
2,315
,
1
673
2
2'4~
,
.5
2
6
2,502
1,733
1
.
2,609
,793
2
8
.
2,824
1, 942
017
3,p
2,932
2'
3'040
3.1
2
3
3'147
2,196
.
3,3
3,255
2,301
2 405
4
3
3,362
.
3.5
3'470
2,510
2
615
3,577
,
2,719
N~ak KonBbo Parok, No 7, Publiehzd in 1950, gives the folloxing table
shoxing extraction percentage of nickel from ores having nickel content as
indicated (5);
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.5
4.0
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/25: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700100540-9
1. Chosen no Kobutau BhlSen to Sono Koioro (Mining and Mineral Resources in
Korea), Research Department, Bank of Korea, Seoul, 17 Jan 1943
2. Chosen Koavo Kaiahi (Korean Min
Korean Mining Association, Seoul, 15 Sepi1y33esociation Report), pol 7{pI, go 3,
3. Chosen Aenkan 1945 (Korean Yearbook 1945), Rei~o ftipposha, Seoul, 1945
4? Haegak Ko~bo P~u'ok (Cabinet Report Supplement), Ao 4, Cabinet,
Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Pyongyang, 30 Dec 1948
5. AeeQak Konnbo Purok (Cabinet Report Supplement), Bo 7, Cabinet,
Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Pyongyang, 31 May 195a
6. Chosen Koayo Raiehi (Korean Mining Association Report), Vol XXIII,
Ro 1, Korean Mining Association, Seoul, 15 Jun 1940
7. Chosen KoRyoku Ichiran (Lint of Korean Mines)
bureau, (;otrernment-General of Korea, Seoul, 25 Dec 1940 ~~ Section, Industry
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