폐통신장비가 '도시광산'으로…1800억 핵심광물 회수한다

South Korea is launching an urban mining initiative to recover critical minerals like rare earths and cobalt from discarded telecom equipment, addressing resource security risks posed by concentrated global supply chains and surging AI/data center demands. Recovering an estimated 180 billion won worth of materials annually from 13,600 tons of e-waste supports both domestic supply independence and carbon neutrality targets through a circular economy model.