Pacific Empire Intersects 183.0 Metres of 1.23% CuEq Starting at 9.0 Metres, Including 71.5 Metres of 1.80% CuEq at Trident A Zone, British ColumbiaVancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 15, 2025) - Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. (TSXV: PEMC) ("Pacific Empire", "PEMC" or the "Company"), a copper-gold explorer based in British Columbia, is pleased to announce initial assay results from the upper portion of the first hole of its 2025 winter diamond drilling program at the Trident copper-gold project in north-central British Columbia. These initial results, which represent only the upper portion of Hole DD25-TRI-001, demonstrate broad, near-surface copper-gold mineralization consistent with the interpreted A Zone porphyry system. Assays for the remainder of Hole DD25-TRI-001, together with results from five additional drill holes completed during the 2025 winter program, are pending and represent near-term catalysts to further define the scale, continuity, and grade distribution of mineralization at Trident. Results reported represent the strongest copper-gold mineralization intersected at Trident to date and materially advance the Company's geological understanding and exploration model for a potentially significant porphyry copper-gold system.Highlights - A Zone (Hole DD25-TRI-001, Upper Portion)183.0 metres grading 1.23% CuEq from 9.0 metres to 192.0 metres in Hole DD25-TRI-001 (0.772% Cu, 0.51 g/t Au, 3.4 g/t Ag), demonstrating broad, near-surface copper-gold mineralization consistent with the interpreted A Zone porphyry system.Including 71.5 metres grading 1.80% CuEq from 21.0 metres to 92.5 metres (1.06% Cu, 0.83 g/t Au, 4.6 g/t Ag), representing a higher-grade interval within the broader mineralized zone.Including 14.8 metres grading 1.91% CuEq from 22.7 metres to 37.5 metres (1.23% Cu, 0.75 g/t Au, 5.5 g/t Ag), highlighting strong copper-gold-silver grades within the upper portion of the high-grade zone.Including several high-grade gold-rich intervals, such as:0.50 metres grading 4.02% CuEq from 34.1 metres to 34.6 metres (2.10% Cu, 2.16 g/t Au, 12.3 g/t Ag);1.0 metre grading 2.50% CuEq from 46.0 metres to 47.0 metres (1.65% Cu, 0.94 g/t Au, 6.6 g/t Ag); and1.25 metres grading 11.01% CuEq from 59.0 metres to 60.25 metres (1.32% Cu, 11.45 g/t Au, 10.9 g/t Ag).Additional near-surface mineralization includes 19.1 metres grading 1.61% CuEq from 73.4 metres to 92.5 metres (0.923% Cu, 0.77 g/t Au, 4.6 g/t Ag), including 0.65 metres grading 6.87% CuEq from 80.0 metres to 80.7 metres (2.56% Cu, 4.96 g/t Au, 16.8 g/t Ag).Multiple additional mineralized intervals were intersected deeper in the hole, including 26.6 metres grading 1.45% CuEq from 99.9 metres to 126.5 metres (0.929% Cu, 0.57 g/t Au, 4.8 g/t Ag), demonstrating continuity of copper-gold mineralization at depth.Reported results represent only the upper portion of Hole DD25-TRI-001; assays for the remainder of the hole are pending.A total of six diamond drill holes were completed for 2,603 metres across three priority target areas:Three holes (DD25-TRI-001, DD25-TRI-005 & DD25-TRI-006) were drilled at the A Zone, following up on historical copper-gold mineralization and new geological modelling.Two holes (DD25-TRI-002 & DD25-TRI-003) tested an area 400 metres north of the A Zone, where subsurface geophysical trends suggested potential extensions of the system.One hole (DD25-TRI-004) targeted a significant resistivity anomaly identified in the 2024 MobileMT airborne magnetotelluric survey, located in the central part of the property."These results materially advance our understanding of Trident and are exactly the type of outcome we were hoping for as we continue to advance the project," said Brad Peters, President and CEO of Pacific Empire. "The A Zone drilling has identified broad intervals of strong copper-gold mineralization from near-surface, including a substantial higher-grade interval, which significantly elevates the exploration potential at Trident. Importantly, our step-out drilling to the north and our test of the large MobileMT resistivity anomaly will provide critical information for the next phase of drilling. The combination of strong copper grades, gold enrichment, potassic alteration and magnetite is a hallmark of well-developed porphyry copper-gold systems in British Columbia, and we believe we are working in the right part of such a system."Geological context indicates that Hole DD25-TRI-001 intersected potassic-altered, magnetite-bearing porphyritic intrusive rocks hosting copper-gold mineralization, as evidenced by elevated copper and gold values, consistent iron content, and low lead-zinc-arsenic levels within the reported interval. While a single drill hole provides only a limited window into the geometry of the system, the alteration and geochemical characteristics observed are consistent with mineralization associated with a porphyry copper-gold environment. These results support continued follow-up drilling to