SUMMIT Lee presents blueprint for manufacturing revival with Washington

President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable reception at the Willard InterContinental Washington, Monday. Yonhap

WASHINGTON D.C. — Fresh from his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, President Lee Jae Myung joined the Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable on Monday, where he urged leading American executives to pursue strategies for shared industrial growth.

At a hotel in downtown Washington, Lee said the alliance between the United States and Korea rests on trust, and that economic cooperation offers the strongest means of reinforcing it. He added that business leaders themselves embody the partnership’s 72-year legacy.

“The United States has been an indispensable partner in Korea’s industrialization,” Lee said. “During the critical period when our industrial base was destroyed by war, Korea was able to rise as a manufacturing powerhouse with America’s help. Korea’s rapid economic development would have been impossible without the U.S.”

He stressed that Korea is now ready to contribute to the revitalization of American manufacturing.

“The core of President Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ [plan] is to rebuild U.S. manufacturing," he said. "Korea — with world-leading technologies in shipbuilding, semiconductors, automobiles, batteries, biotech, pharmaceuticals and nuclear power — is the optimal partner for America’s manufacturing renaissance.”

President Lee Jae Myung delivers a keynote address at the Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable held at the Willard InterContinental Washington, Monday. Yonhap

In his speech, Lee laid out a three-part plan aimed at sparking a manufacturing renaissance in the United States.

Korea is seeking closer cooperation with the United States in shipbuilding, next-generation nuclear power and the development of small modular reactors, part of an effort to meet future energy demands and bolster security in the age of artificial intelligence.

“Seventy-five years ago, the decisive role of the U.S. Navy turned the tide of the Korean War. Naval power stems from shipbuilding capability. Through the MASGA — Make American Shipbuilding Great Again — project, Korea’s shipyards, which rank among the top three in the world, will contribute to rebuilding U.S. shipbuilding," the president said.

He pointed next to semiconductors, biotechnology and medical technology as critical fields for cooperation to bolster competitiveness on the world stage.

“The Korea–U.S. semiconductor supply chain is a mutually beneficial structure. Companies like SK and Samsung will build manufacturing facilities in the U.S., including packaging, foundries and test operations, turning America into a key hub in the global semiconductor network,” Lee said.

The president concluded by vowing to forge a durable trade partnership, anchored in targeted investments, procurement and stronger supply chains.

“We expect balanced and sustainable trade that meets the expectations of both countries,” he said.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick welcomed Lee’s message, noting that the more than seven-decade business relationship between the two nations is about more than trade in goods — it is about shaping the future together.

President Lee Jae Myung speaks with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick at the Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable held at the Willard InterContinental Washington, Monday. Yonhap

The business roundtable drew senior officials and executives from both nations. On the Korean side, participants included chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, presidential policy chief Kim Yong-beom and several Cabinet ministers. They were joined by leading corporate figures such as Samsung’s Lee Jae-yong, SK’s Chey Tae-won, Hyundai’s Chung Euisun, LG’s Koo Kwang-mo, Lotte’s Kim Sang-hyun and Hanwha’s Kim Dong-kwan.

From the U.S., attendees included Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Carlyle Group co-chair David Rubenstein, Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson, Axcelis CEO Russell Low, General Atomics CEO Linden Blue, Penguin Solutions CEO Mark Adams, X-Energy CEO Clay Sell and Danaher CEO Rainer Blair.