US senator says Congress will review shipbuilding reforms after Lee-Trump summit
U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) speaks at a news conference following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. in this Dec. 10, 2024, file photo. AFP-Yonhap
A U.S. senator said Wednesday that Congress will review what legislative reforms may be needed to facilitate shipbuilding cooperation with Korea, based on the outcome of next week's summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) made the remarks during a press availability in Seoul, days before Lee and Trump are set to hold their first summit in Washington on Monday (U.S. time), following a recent tariff agreement between the two countries.
"There might be some reforms that can make it more efficient, speed the process, and we'll look at that appropriately," Kim said when asked about U.S. shipbuilding regulations prohibiting foreign involvement.
"I cannot move forward until I have a sense of what comes out from the summit next week. So we'll see how that's structured and how the investment is laid out, and then we'll move with the appropriate level of urgency," he said.
With the tariff deal, Korea has proposed large-scale shipbuilding cooperation projects, dubbed "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA)," to help restore the sluggish U.S. shipbuilding industry, including building new shipyards in the United States and partnerships on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) projects.
However, concerns have been raised about how quickly the shipbuilding projects can move forward, as U.S. laws, such as the Jones Act and the Byrnes-Tollefson Amendment, remain as a legal barrier restricting foreign operations in commercial shipping and military shipbuilding.
"If there are proposals needed for reforms that make sense to both of our countries, I think it could move fast," Kim said.
Kim also addressed the need for the U.S. to be clear about its goals in shipbuilding cooperation with Korea, such as the number and type of ships it needs to build, saying that any legislative support would start from there.
As a New Jersey resident who lives about 15 minutes away from the Philly Shipyard, run by Korea's Hanwha Ocean, Kim described Korea as the "best partner" in boosting American shipbuilding capabilities.
"We are supportive of President Trump's efforts to continue to increase shipbuilding capabilities, and we're prepared to provide whatever type of legislation as well as resources behind it to be able to make that successful," he said.
Regarding the Trump administration's push for "modernizing the alliance," which potentially calls for reorienting the role of U.S. troops in Korea to deter China, Kim said related bilateral discussions should take place in a way that ensures U.S. commitment to deterring North Korean threats, as well as addressing shared regional challenges.
"I want to make sure that ... in the Indo-Pacific, (we) are able to address the array of different challenges and threats that we face. We can do that in a way that still protects extended deterrence, protects our interests here on the Korean Peninsula," Kim said.
"Any changes that we would see in significant ways to troop presence, we would want to make sure that Congress has a role in oversight."
Kim, the first Korean American elected to the Senate, visited Korea this week with Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Il) for meetings with government officials and business leaders. They also met with President Lee.
Kim said Lee's decision to stop in Japan before going to Washington for the summit with Trump was a "brilliant move."
"I can think of few opportunities that are more impactful than recommitment to the trilateral process between the United States, South Korea and Japan," he said.