Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 20, 2026) - Great Pacific Gold Corp. (TSXV: GPAC) (OTCQX: GPGCF) (FSE: 0B3) ("Great Pacific Gold," "GPAC," or the "Company") is providing an exploration update on drilling and fieldwork from its flagship Wild Dog Project ("Wild Dog" or the "Project"), located on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea ("PNG").

Highlights from the Main Epithermal Target Area (Figure 1)

1. Sinivit - 3,000 meters of drilling in 2025 over 18 diamond drill holes with two high-grade ore shoots identified¹:

• Northern Sulphide - WDG-08: 8.4m @ 50.1 g/t AuEq (59.6 g/t Au, 1.9% Cu, 59.6 g/t Ag)
• Southern Oxide - WDG-02: 7.0m @ 10.9 g/t AuEq (5.5 g/t Au, 3.0% Cu, 68.8 g/t Ag)

2. Kavasuki - 1,000 meters of drilling in 2026 over 7 diamond drill holes on one east-west section:

• Broad mineralized zone from surface- KVH-03: 38.4m @ 2.23 g/t AuEq (2.4 g/t Au, 0.02% Cu, 2.5 g/t Ag)²
• Follow-up drilling is planned to test strike continuity to the north and south with six additional drill holes totalling approximately 900 metres.

3. Magiabe - Main vein and newly discovered West vein to be drilled following Kavasuki³

• Magiabe Main: historic drilling 4.4m @ 9.2 g/t Au, 37.9 g/t Ag
• Magiabe West: 2026 channel sample: 8.0m @ 18.1 g/t AuEq

4. Mengmut - defined by high-grade surface geochemistry and historic drilling⁴

• Trench sampling 2026: 4.0m @ 2.5 g/t Au
• Ongoing exploration focused on refining drill targets along the broader Mengmut trend

5. Morgan - parallel structure to Sinivit target, expanded to 850m strike length in 2026 mapping⁵

• 2026 channel sample: 19.3m @ 4.13 g/t AuEq (4.0 g/t Au, 0.03% Cu, 6.0 g/t Ag)

6. EK Target Area:

• Elamaraka - mapping confirmed multiple structurally controlled quartz-sulphide vein systems associated with widespread Au-Cu; historical trench 6 m @ 4.40 g/t Au
• Recent surface bench sampling returned 2.21 g/t Au, 10 g/t Ag and 0.05% Cu across a 6 m exposed vein zone associated with sheeted quartz-pyrite and chalcopyrite veining
• Kargalio - mapping defined a 16 m wide N-S fault-shear corridor hosting quartz-pyrite vein material; historical trench 6 m @ 11.9 g/t Au

"The main epithermal target zone at Wild Dog continues to show district-scale potential with six main target areas distributed across approximately 4.5 km of interpreted epithermal vein structure planned for drill testing in 2026. The Company is planning a further 10,000 meters of diamond drilling from May through December this year to systematically test these priority targets in the main epithermal target area. We are also continuing to advance emerging targets such as Kasie Ridge, where the first diamond drill hole is nearing completion, initial geological observations continue to support the broader exploration potential of the target area, and a follow-up hole is planned. GPAC continues to be well-financed through 2026 and beyond with our cash position at end of Q1 of approximately C$26.3 million," stated Greg McCunn, CEO.

Figure 1: Simplified plan view of the Wild Dog Structural Corridor highlighting key epithermal gold-copper target areas, current drilling locations, interpreted structural trends and priority exploration targets.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11018/298135_abf1215f547fa9b6_002full.jpg

"The recent work at Elamaraka and Kargalio continues to demonstrate the broader scale potential of the Wild Dog district beyond the currently defined Sinivit-Kavasuki mineralized system," stated Callum Spink, VP Exploration. "Importantly, the current exploration strategy is focused on systematically building a pipeline of structurally controlled drill-ready targets across the district through integrated geological mapping, trenching, geochemistry, MobileMT geophysics and structural interpretation. These emerging targets share many of the same geological and structural characteristics observed elsewhere across the broader Wild Dog district, including Sinivit, Kavasuki and Magiabe, and continue to support our interpretation that Wild Dog represents an underexplored district-scale epithermal mineralized system."

Notes:

1. See Press Release dated February 26, 2026
2. See Press Release dated March 25, 2026
3. See Press Release dated March 16, 2026
4. See Press Release dated January 26, 2026
5. See Press Release dated March 16, 2026
6. Drill highlights presented above are core lengths (true widths are not known at this time).
7. Gold equivalent (AuEq) exploration results are calculated using longer-term commodity prices with a copper price of US$4.50/lb, a silver price of US$27.50/oz and a gold price of US$2,000/oz. No metallurgical testing has been carried out on Wild Dog mineralized samples. For AuEq calculations, recovery assumptions of Au 92.6%, Ag 78.0%, and Cu 94.0% were used based on K92 Mining's stated recovery results in an Updated Definitive Feasibility Study for the Kainantu mine.
8. Channel and bench samples are inherently selective and may not represent true widths or the overall mineralized system.

Qualified Person
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Callum Spink, Vice President Exploration of Great Pacific Gold Corp., who is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG) and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Spink has reviewed and verified the geological interpretation, exploration data, sampling procedures, analytical results and geophysical interpretation referenced in this news release and takes responsibility for the technical content contained herein. Mr. Spink is not independent of the Company.

Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QAQC)
The Company follows industry-standard Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) procedures for the collection, handling and analysis of exploration samples. Diamond drill core, rock-chip, trench, channel and surface bench samples referenced in this release were collected by Great Pacific Gold geological staff and submitted to Intertek Minerals Ltd. in Lae, Papua New Guinea, an ISO 9001-certified independent analytical laboratory with internationally recognised quality standards.

Diamond drill core (HQ and PQ diameter) was sawn in half, with one-half submitted for analysis. Surface samples were collected and documented in accordance with industry-standard exploration practices. Samples were dried, crushed and pulverised prior to analysis.

Gold analyses were completed by fire assay, while silver and copper analyses were determined using multi-element methods following four-acid digestion (MS48) and ICP-OES/MS analysis.

Certified reference materials (standards), blanks and field duplicates were inserted into the sample stream at industry-standard frequencies, including routine insertion of blanks following mineralized intervals. All assay batches received to date have passed QA/QC review and fall within acceptable tolerance limits.

Core recoveries were within acceptable ranges, and sampling procedures and chain-of-custody protocols were managed by Company geologists and field staff in accordance with industry best practices. Rock-chip, trench, channel and surface bench samples are selective in nature and may not be representative of the underlying mineralized system.

Historical sampling and drilling results referenced in this release were completed by previous operators and have not been independently verified by the Company. The Company considers these results relevant for exploration targeting purposes only.

About Great Pacific Gold
Great Pacific Gold's vision is to become the leading gold-copper development company in Papua New Guinea ("PNG"). The Company has a portfolio of exploration-stage projects in PNG, as follows:

• Wild Dog Project: the Company's flagship project is located in the East New Britain Province of PNG. The project consists of a large-scale epithermal target, the Wild Dog structural corridor, stretching 15 km in strike length and interpreted to extend to depths exceeding 1,000 metres based on the 2025 MobileMT geophysics survey. The survey also highlighted the Magiabe porphyry target, adjacent to the epithermal target and potentially 1,000 metres in diameter and over 2,000 metres deep. Drilling of the epithermal structure on the Sinivit target has yielded high-grade results, including WDG-08 which intercepted 8.4 metres at 50 g/t AuEq from 154 metres. The current drilling program will extend into 2026 with two drilling rigs mobilised on site.
• Kesar Project: located in the Eastern Highlands Province of PNG and contiguous with the mine tenements of K92 Mining Inc. ("K92"), the Kesar Project is a greenfield exploration project with several high-priority targets in close proximity to the property boundary with K92. Multiple epithermal veins at Kesar are on strike and have the same orientation as key K92 deposits, such as Kora. Exploration work to date by the Company at the Kesar Project has shown that these veins have high grades of gold present in outcrop and very elevated gold in soil grades, coincident with aeromagnetic highs. The Company conducted a diamond drill program on key target areas at the Kesar Project from November 2024 to May 2025 and have developed a follow-up Phase 2 program for 2026.
• Arau Project: also located in the Eastern Highlands Province of PNG, the Arau Project is south of and contiguous to the mine tenements of K92. Arau contains the highly prospective Mt. Victor exploration target with potential for a high sulphidation epithermal gold-base metal deposit. A Phase 1 Reverse Circulation drilling program was completed at Mt. Victor in August 2024, with encouraging results. The Arau Project includes the Elandora licence, which also contains various epithermal and copper-gold porphyry targets.

The Company also holds the Tinga Valley Project in PNG.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Great Pacific Gold cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by many material factors, most of which are beyond their respective control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Great Pacific Gold's limited operating history, its exploration and development activities on its mineral properties and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Great Pacific Gold does not undertake to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

Mineralization at the properties held by K92 Mining Inc. and at the Wafi-Golpu deposit is not necessarily indicative of mineralization at the Wild Dog Project.

Neither 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/298135

19.3m @ 4.13 g/t AuEq (4.0 g/t Au, 0.03% Cu, 6.0 g/t Ag)