S. Korean envoy reaffirms Seoul's conditional approach to proposed Alaska LNG project

South Korea's top envoy to the United States, Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha, reaffirmed Seoul's conditional approach to a proposed Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post. The envoy emphasized that commercial and legal conditions must be met for participation in the project. Korea has committed $350 billion to the U.S., and both nations agreed to work on the Alaska LNG project, but only if it meets commercial reasonableness and complies with domestic laws.

This comes as Seoul and Washington have had disagreements over the project's status. The White House previously estimated $54 billion was tied to the Alaska project, but Seoul has insisted its involvement remains subject to a commercial viability review. While Kang did not provide a specific investment figure for the Alaska project, she outlined other major energy initiatives the two governments have agreed on a framework for.