News Release

Dec 1, 2009

PDF Version

Western Copper Reaches Permitting Milestone at Carmacks

VANCOUVER, B.C. Western Copper Corporation (“Western Copper” or the “Company”) (TSX:WRN) is pleased to announce that the Yukon Water Board has completed the adequacy review of the Carmacks Copper Project Type A Water Use Licence (“WUL”) application and has set an intervention deadline of January 25, 2010.

The WUL represents the final key permit required for the Carmacks Copper Project. The setting of a deadline for interventions provides a general guide as to the timing of a public hearing. Western Copper anticipates that the WUL could be issued within a period of a few months following the public hearing.

“I am glad to see that we are entering the final stages of permitting at Carmacks,” said Dale Corman, President & CEO. “We have worked closely with the Secretariat of the Yukon Water Board on this application and look forward to a timely issuance of the licence.”

The Carmacks Copper Project, located approximately 200 km north of Whitehorse, will employ up to 180 workers during operation and will produce 32 million pounds of cathode copper per year at a cash cost of US$0.84/lb of copper, based on a feasibility study completed in May 2007. The mine will require approximately 20 months for construction and will require up to 250 construction workers.

More information on the intervention and hearing process together with copies of the Carmacks Copper Type A Water Use Licence application are available at the Yukon Water Board website http://www.yukonwaterboard.ca.

ABOUT WESTERN COPPER CORPORATION
Western Copper is a Vancouver based exploration and development company with significant copper, gold and molybdenum resources and reserves. The Company has 100% ownership of four Canadian properties. The two most advanced projects are the Carmacks Copper Project and the Casino Project both located in the Yukon. Based on a pre-feasibility study completed in August 2008, the Casino Project is one of the world's largest open-pittable copper, gold and molybdenum deposits. For more information, visit http://www.westerncoppercorp.com

On behalf of the board,

"Dale Corman"

F. Dale Corman
Chairman & CEO
Western Copper Corporation

For more information, please contact:

Paul West-Sells - Executive VP,
Corporate Development
Chiara Orrigoni - Investor Relations

Call: 1.888.966.9995 or 604.684.9497
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Cautionary notes:

This press release includes certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and reserves, exploration results and future plans and objectives of Western Copper Corp. are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Notice to US Investors

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits U.S. mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. We use certain terms on this news release, such as “measured,” “indicated,” and “inferred” “resources,” that the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit U.S. registered companies from including in their filings with the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in Western’s Form 20-F, File No. 000-52231, which may be secured from the Company, or from the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.