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USTR Greer to meet HD Hyundai Heavy, Hanwha Ocean CEOs to discuss shipbuilding cooperation

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By Yonhap
  • Published KST
Korea's Industry and Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun, right, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer pose together during their meeting in Washington, D.C., April 24. Courtesy of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

Korea's Industry and Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun, right, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer pose together during their meeting in Washington, D.C., April 24. Courtesy of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer was scheduled to meet with the chief executive officers (CEOs) of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean, Korea's leading shipbuilders, on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers' meeting this week, industry sources said Thursday.

Greer was set to hold separate one-on-one meetings Friday with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries CEO Lee Sang-kyun and Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-cheul on Korea's southern Jeju Island, where the trade ministers' meeting is under way. Greer arrived in Korea on Thursday to attend the multilateral meeting.

The meetings, arranged at the request of the U.S. side, are expected to cover areas of strategic cooperation in both commercial and naval shipbuilding, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, according to the sources.

The outcomes of these talks are expected to serve as leverage in the high-level trade consultations between Greer and Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun, scheduled to take place Friday on Jeju.

Discussions of shipbuilding cooperation between the two countries have gained traction under U.S. President Donald Trump, who has emphasized the need to rebuild America's shipbuilding sector. Trump has highlighted Korea, a global leader in shipbuilding, as a key strategic partner for the U.S.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan visited Korea to tour HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Ulsan headquarters and Hanwha Ocean's Geoje shipyard.

In an exclusive written interview with Yonhap News Agency following his trip, Phelan said the U.S. Navy welcomes further collaboration with Korean shipyards as part of a broader effort to revitalize America's maritime industrial base.

"We are looking forward to continued collaboration in this sector and encourage ROK shipyards to bid on continued MRO opportunities with the U.S. Navy," Phelan earlier told Yonhap News Agency, referring Korea by is official name, the Republic of Korea.