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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Dec. 16, 2009) - Empire Mining Corporation (TSX VENTURE:EPC) ("Empire") is pleased to announce that Mr. Yassen Khrischev has been appointed to the position of Vice President of Exploration.

Mr. Khrischev has 12 years of broad international experience with Rio Tinto in mineral exploration and in a variety of exploration roles, including as a Senior Project Geologist, and he has most recently held a Consulting Geologist position with Newmont in Turkey and Armenia. Mr. Khrischev has experience with a number of commodities, particularly gold and copper, and primarily in the exploration of copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry deposits and epithermal gold deposits in countries situated along the western section of the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt, including Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. He was also involved in the discovery of the Saray Guney gold deposit in western Iran.

Mr. Khrischev's responsibilities will include the overall management of an accelerated chromite exploration and development program at Empire's Bulqiza Project in Albania, in addition to the oversight of activities at Empire's other projects. He will report to and liaise directly with Empire's CEO.

"We are delighted that Mr. Khrischev has agreed to join Empire Mining. He is both technically and managerially experienced and we're confident that Empire Mining will fulfill its ambition to be a successful explorer and developer with Yassen as part of the team," stated CEO, Mr. David Cliff.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"David Cliff"_________
David Cliff, President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.