Trump Warns South Korea: No Alaska LNG Deal, Higher Charges Coming
US President Donald Trump has issued a warning to South Korea over a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska. Speaking at a press availability at the White House, Trump said that if Seoul does not agree to invest in the project, he will 'charge' them more. The project involves building a 1,298-km pipeline from Alaska's North Slope to southern Alaska, where the gas would be cooled into liquid form and shipped to Asian markets.
Trump made these remarks two days after announcing the first package of South Korea's proposed US investment projects under a bilateral trade agreement reached last year. The package includes the Alaska LNG project, a gas-fired power plant in Texas, and eight large-scale nuclear power plants. Trump claimed that South Korea was 'represented' at the announcement, but when asked about reports that Seoul had not signed an agreement for the Alaska project, he said, 'Tell them if they don't sign shortly, I'm going to double it up.'
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has stated that South Korea would invest more than $50 billion in the Alaska LNG project. The proposed project is part of a broader commitment by South Korea to invest $350 billion in the US.