Trump did not 'jump the gun' on South Korea deal
US President Donald Trump affirmed on Friday that he had not prematurely announced a South Korean investment in Alaska LNG, a long-planned liquefied natural gas project. Trump's announcement of $200 billion in US projects for South Korea on Wednesday led to Seoul's caution regarding a $54 billion pipeline component. Trump stated that he "didn't jump the gun" and that the investment's progress would depend on Seoul's commitment.
He also hinted at potential adjustments in the deal if Seoul decided not to proceed. Trump further revealed that the US-South Korea trade deal allocates $8.4 billion for a project to extract crude from an aging oilfield. However, a Seoul official doubted the source of this claim, asserting that it was contingent on a joint fact sheet released in November 2025.
The press office of the South Korean embassy in Washington declined to provide further comment. Trump's strategy to incorporate South Korean investments into the Alaska LNG project has sparked renewed interest in this costly endeavor, estimated to surpass the cost of a similar US Gulf Coast plant. The project entails constructing an 800-mile pipeline from the North Slope to an LNG liquefaction facility in Alaska's Nikiski port.
Trump highlighted that South Korea's $200 billion investment would involve constructing eight large nuclear power plants, a natural gas pipeline, and a 6-gigawatt power plant in Texas. This announcement marked the inaugural major project under a $350 billion strategic investment package South Korea committed to as part of a trade agreement with Washington the previous year.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
