Trump Threatens Tariffs on South Korea Over Alaska LNG Project

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose higher tariffs on South Korean goods if Seoul does not follow through with an investment in a liquefied natural gas project in Alaska. The project, worth $54 billion, was announced by Trump earlier this week as part of South Korea's investment commitment in the United States under their trade agreement last year.

The South Korean government has agreed to the project only if it proves economically viable. When asked about Seoul's pushback, Trump said, 'If they don't want to do it, that's OK with me, I'll just charge them more.' This echoes language he has previously used when threatening higher tariffs against foreign governments.

The comments risk deepening a dispute between the two traditional allies over trade and security. Washington and Seoul have spent months working out which projects would receive funding from the hundreds of billions of dollars South Korea committed to invest in the United States under their trade agreement last year.