Klinger in Forbes on N. Korea and Rare Earth Elements
Julie Klinger, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was recently interviewed on the revelation that North Korea sits on a reserve of natural resources which the country lacks the technology and expertise to extract. A portion of these natural resources are rare earth metals, which are used to make many advanced technologies but are difficult to find in high concentrations.
Klinger was quoted in a July 14, 2017 article in Forbes entitled “Why North Korea Is An Untapped Goldmine For Tech Companies, And For China.”
From the text of the article:
Not only are these resources difficult to obtain, they’re also crucial to many of our most advanced technologies. “The magnetic and conductive properties of these elements allow our modern technologies to be lighter, faster, and stronger, making them more efficient,” says Dr. Julie Michelle Klinger, an assistant professor of international relations at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. Among other things, they’re used in MRI scanners, cancer treatment drugs, nuclear reactor shielding, aircraft engines and smartphones.
“Without rare earths and the miniaturization capabilities they provide, computers would be the size of classrooms instead of the size of smartphones,” says Dr. Klinger. She points out that although the likelihood of rare earth elements beneath North Korea is high, they are obtainable elsewhere in the world. The concern, therefore, is not over where these elements can be found, but rather with where they are already being mined.
“Because of the intense environmental and public health hazards created by rare earth mining, China’s strategy has been to become a net importer of rare earth elements to produce value-added technologies rather than a net exporter of rare earth oxides–which are the raw materials,” says Dr. Klinger. “They have been pursuing this strategy by developing and purchasing rare earth mines overseas: in Central Asia, Brazil, and elsewhere. Given this strategy, it is conceivable that Chinese interests may develop rare earth mining in North Korea, but a lot of other pieces would have to fall into place first.”
Julie Klinger specializes in development, environment, and security politics in Latin America and China in comparative and global perspective. She is currently completing a book project on the global geography of rare earth prospecting and mining, with a special emphasis on the development and geopolitics of resource frontiers in Brazil, China, and Outer Space.