What did Trump say South Korea and Japan are doing in Alaska?

Trump said South Korea, Japan and other countries are going to Alaska to load up with fuel and oil, build pipelines and handle other energy-related work. He made the comments while praising Alaska and Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

Why is the Trump administration seeking cooperation from South Korea and Japan on Alaska LNG?

The administration wants help with an Alaska liquefied natural gas project that would move gas from the North Slope to southern Alaska. The gas would be cooled to liquid form for shipment to Asia.

What is the Alaska LNG pipeline project Trump referred to?

It is a proposed 1,287-kilometer pipeline from the North Slope, which has massive proven natural gas reserves, to southern Alaska. The project is designed to transport natural gas that will be cooled into liquid form for export to Asia.

Trump says Korea, Japan, others going to Alaska to 'load up' with oil, build pipelines

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Summary

Trump said South Korea, Japan and other countries are going to Alaska to load up with oil and build pipelines as he praised the state ahead of the November midterm elections. He made the remarks at the White House while mentioning Sen. Dan Sullivan, who is up for reelection. Trump also said his administration has invested billions of dollars in Alaska and created trillions of dollars in value. The administration has been seeking cooperation from South Korea, Japan and others for an Alaska LNG project.

Key Facts

Trump made the remarks during a press availability at the White House on Wednesday.
He mentioned Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, who is up for reelection.
The Trump administration has sought cooperation from South Korea, Japan and other nations in an Alaska liquefied natural gas project.
The project aims to build a 1,287-kilometer pipeline from the North Slope to southern Alaska to transport natural gas for shipment to Asia.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 3, 2026 7:20 am KST
Updated Sep 3, 2026 7:42 am KST

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House during a meeting with travel executives, Sept. 2, in Washington, as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, left, and Travel Association President and CEO Jeff Freeman, look on. AP-Yonhap

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that South Korea, Japan and other countries are going to Alaska to "load up with oil and build pipelines," as he highlighted his support for the state ahead of the November midterm elections.

Trump made the remarks during a press availability at the White House, mentioning Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) who is up for reelection.

"I definitely know nobody has helped Alaska like Donald Trump. We've invested billions and billions of dollars and created trillions of dollars in value," he said.

"You have Japan. You have South Korea. You have all of these people now going to Alaska to load up with fuel, load up with oil, build pipelines, everything else. Dan Sullivan's done a great job," he added, noting his intention to visit Alaska to help Republican candidates.

The Trump administration has sought to elicit cooperation from South Korea, Japan and other nations in an Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

The project aims to build a 1,287-kilometer pipeline from the North Slope, which has massive proven natural gas reserves, to southern Alaska to transport natural gas that will be cooled to liquid form for shipments to Asia.

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