Trump says US will look at Korean, other firms for shipbuilding cooperation to strengthen Navy

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., during the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, July 15. AP-Yonhap

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration will "probably" look at Korean and other companies for shipbuilding cooperation as part of efforts to reinforce the United States Navy.

Trump made the remarks during an event, called the Defense and Innovation Summit, at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, as the U.S. seeks to expand cooperation with Korea in revitalizing its shipbuilding sector.

"We have to build our Navy ... We got to get it going. So, we're going to probably look at some of these companies that are coming in from Korea and other places, and they're working with us on ships," he said at the event.

"We're going to also build. We're going to also buy some ships that are made outside of the area ... We need a lot of ships for our Navy despite the fact we have the greatest navy in the world. But our ships are getting older, and we really got out of that business," he added.

It remains unclear what he meant by ships that are "made outside of the area."

Earlier this month, a Korean presidential official told reporters that Trump does not appear to rule out the possibility of U.S. naval vessels being built in Korea.

Trump reportedly discussed shipbuilding cooperation with Korean President Lee Jae Myung during their encounter at the Group of Seven summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, last month.