Vancouver, B.C., January 9, 2013 - Empire Mining Corporation (EPC: TSX-V) ("Empire") announces that effective tomorrow January 10th, 2013 it will commence trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the new name Columbus Copper Corporation and the new ticker symbol CCU.

Shareholders are not required to take any action in connection with the change of name; physical share certificates of Empire Mining Corporation will remain valid share certificates of Columbus Copper in full force and effect.

The changes emphasize Empire's concentration on its growing copper portfolio in Turkey and Serbia and in the general Balkan area of Europe. The changes are also motivated by efforts to further integrate within the Columbus Group with a view to reducing operating and overhead costs.