China has discovered a superlarge rare earth deposit with 1.15 million tons of potential resources in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Yunnan Province, the China Geological Survey (CGS) under under the Ministry of Natural Resources said on Thursday.
The key rare earth elements such as praseodymium, neodymium, dysprosium, and terbium exceed 470,000 tons in this newly discovered ion-adsorption-type rare earth deposit, marking another significant breakthrough in China since the first such discovery in east China's Jiangxi Province in 1969, according to the CGS.
The deposit is expected to become China's largest medium and heavy rare earth deposit, the CGS added.
"Rare earth elements are a group of 16 chemical elements, which can be divided into three small groups: light, medium and heavy. Each new energy vehicle requires 0.8 kilograms of rare earth, so the demand of the element is huge and increasing every year," said Wang Xueqiu, principal scientist of the Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Exploration under the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences. Medium and heavy rare earth resources, which are essential for new energy, high-tech and national defense industries, are relatively scarce in China, so the deposit is expected to help ease the scarcity of rare earth for many fields.
China discovers superlarge rare earth deposit in Yunnan
The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s former impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday was sentenced to five years in prison on arrest obstruction charges.
The criminal division of the Seoul Central District Court in charge of Yoon's obstruction of justice case handed down the prison sentence to Yoon for abusing the presidential security service to hinder the anti-corruption agency from executing its arrest warrant in January 2025.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) was once thwarted in its attempt to arrest Yoon as the presidential security service formed human shields and bus blockades to prevent investigators from entering the presidential residence.
The team of Cho Eun-suk, an independent counsel who led investigations into Yoon's insurrection and other charges, demanded a 10-year prison term for Yoon.
The court said Yoon privatized the presidential security service for personal safety and private interests by blocking the law enforcement agencies' lawful execution of an arrest warrant and attempting to destroy evidence, pointing out that despite the very bad nature of his crime, he consistently offered unconvincing excuses and showed no remorse.
The court stressed that severe punishment was necessary, considering the need to restore the rule of law damaged by Yoon's crime, but it noted that the fact that he was a first-time offender with no criminal record was considered a favorable factor.
The sentencing, which was broadcast live, was Yoon's first verdict coming from his botched martial law bid.
The first-instance sentencing for Yoon's insurrection charges was scheduled for Feb 19. The special counsel sought a death penalty for Yoon on the charges.
Yoon declared emergency martial law on the night of Dec 3 in 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.
The constitutional court upheld a motion to impeach Yoon in April 2025, officially removing him from office.
The ousted leader was indicted while in detention in January 2025 on charges of leading an insurrection, becoming the first sitting ROK president facing such prosecution.
ROK ex-president Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison on arrest obstruction charges
