Mr. Vince Sorace reports

KUTCHO COPPER OUTLINES ESSO WEST - HIGHEST PRIORITY NEAR RESOURCE DRILL TARGET FOR 2026 EXPLORATION PROGRAM

Kutcho Copper Corp. is highlighting the highest-priority near-resource drill target at its feasibility stage, high-grade copper-zinc development project, located in northwestern British Columbia.

Vince Sorace, president and chief executive officer of Kutcho Copper, stated: "Esso West is our most exciting and highest-priority drill target on the Kutcho project. Delineated by new ZTEM and seismic surveys never conducted over the target area in the past, Esso West is a highly prospective geophysical and geologically constrained target area covering nearly one square kilometre. The Esso West target on its own presents the potential for significant scale and value addition to the Kutcho project."

"The nearby Esso deposit contains an indicated resource of 2.6 million tonnes at 4.4 per cent CuEqR, and an inferred resource of 2.1 million tonnes at 2.15 per cent CuEqR, representing approximately 50 per cent of the value of the entire Kutcho project. The Esso West target exhibits similar characteristics in mineralization and grade as the Esso deposit, and has the potential to host multiple Esso-style deposits. Our fully funded 2026 drill program planned to commence in June will include up to seven drill holes into the Esso West target."

Highest-priority untested VMS target within five km of defined resources:

• The prospective, near-planar, Kutcho time horizon extends for over 12 km along strike and along with all known deposits at the project, includes the Esso West target.
• Esso West is an untested ZTEM (see notes for definition) conductivity high near to the known mineralization.
• Seismic reflection surveys over the Esso West target revealed detailed subsurface geological features that positviely correlate to those at the Esso deposit -- allowing for high-conviction drill targeting where conincident with ZTEM conductivity highs.
• The target is strongly supported by geology, magnetic and seismic data that have been benchmarked against the high-grade Esso deposit.
• The Esso West VMS target covers an area nearly one square km -- an area over four times larger than the Esso deposit.

Esso West -- a well-defined geophysical target

Esso West is a high-priority drill target covering an area of 1,900 m strike by 500 m downdip. It is defined by coincident ZTEM, VTEM (see notes for definition) and magnetic anomalies that lie along strike and to the west of the high-grade Esso deposit.

The target is bracketed by a total of five historic drill holes that intercepted a combination of: (a) moderately to strongly sericite-pyrite-altered quartz-crystal tuffs that correlate to the immediate hanging wall rocks to the Main, Sumac and Esso deposits; and (b) sericite-pyrite-altered lapilli tuffs, which are indicative of the footwall sequence below the three known deposits. However, none of these holes directly intersected the Esso West target.

In 2023, a seismic reflection survey over the Esso West target (and comparison seismic lines over the Esso deposit) was run to understand the subsurface geology in this area of low drilling density. It allowed for 3-D modelling of the geological units and position of the Kutcho time horizon, this provides excellent control on drill targeting.

The combination of the ZTEM conductivity high and geological indicators at the Esso West deposit, including its position on a geological basement high, and based on magnetic and seismic data, the inferred presence of a distinctive magnetic hanging wall gabbro dike characteristic of Esso and Main deposit geology make the Esso West a compelling target. The company has high conviction about the potential outcome of the planned drilling campaign.

The 2026 exploration program

The company is fully financed for its planned June, 2026, drill program, in which it intends to drill test the Hamburger, the Gap and the Esso West targets. The entire exploration program is planned for nine to 11 holes (approximately 4,500 to 6,000 m of drilling). All drill holes will be accompanied by a downhole EM survey, which will confirm EM strength and avail target direction refinement. The company also plans to complete soil sampling and prospecting on four early-stage targets during the summer of 2026.

Qualified persons

The technical or scientific information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Andrew Sharp, PEng, British Columbia (licence No. 47907), FAusIMM, chief operating officer for Kutcho Copper, who serves as a qualified person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.

Notes:

• Regional and near resource exploration targets are considered early-stage exploration targets that do not contain any mineral resources as defined by NI 43-101. There has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource for the targets disclosed. It is uncertain whether further exploration will result in these targets being delineated as a mineral resource.
• ZTEM is an acronym referring to the Z-axis tipper electromagnetic technique, which is a geophysical technique utilizing natural earth currents to image the subsurface three-dimensional distribution of apparent resistivity to depths exceeding one kilometre.
• VTEM is an acronym referring the versatile time-domain electromagnetic technique and is useful for detecting and discriminating between moderate to excellent conductors.
• Electrical conductivity may indicate the presence of mineralization of economic interest, but also a range of other possibilities, including electrically conductive mudstones, alteration and mineralization such as pyrite.
• Historical data: This news release includes historical information that has been reviewed by Kutcho's qualified person (QP). Kutcho's review of the historical records and information reasonably substantiate the validity of the information presented in this news release; however, Kutcho cannot directly verify the accuracy of the historical data, including (but not limited to) the procedures used for sample collection and analysis. Therefore, any conclusions or interpretations borne from use of these data should be considered too speculative to suggest that additional exploration will result in mineral resource delineation. Kutcho encourages readers to exercise appropriate caution when evaluating these data and/or results.
• Technical disclosure: The material scientific and technical information in respect of the Kutcho project in this news release is, unless otherwise indicated, based upon information contained in the technical report, titled "NI 43-101 Feasibility Study Technical Report for the Kutcho Copper Project, British Columbia, Canada," dated effective Nov. 8, 2021, and issued Dec. 22, 2021. The 2021 feasibility study (FS) was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. These standards differ from the mining property disclosure rules specified in Subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K under the United States Securities Act of 1933 promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits from the 2021 feasibility study set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

About Kutcho Copper Corp.

Kutcho Copper is a Canadian resource development company focused on expanding and developing the Kutcho high-grade copper-zinc project in Northern British Columbia. Committed to social responsibility and the highest environmental standards, the company recently completed a feasibility study on the Kutcho project and is advancing permitting with the objective of getting to a positive construction decision.

We seek Safe Harbor.