What did JD Vance say about South Korea’s role in the Alaska LNG project?

JD Vance said political dynamics in South Korea had created uncertainty, but the United States would complete the project whether it worked with South Korea’s current government, its next government, Japan or other nations.

Why has South Korea not finalized its participation in the Alaska LNG project?

South Korea’s industry ministry said the project must undergo a review of commercial viability and other factors before an investment decision. Kim Jung-kwan said the project had previously stalled because its commercial viability was clearly low.

What strategic value does South Korea see in the Alaska LNG project?

Kim Jung-kwan said the project gained new strategic value following the war in the Middle East, although he reiterated that commercial rationality remains necessary for South Korea to participate and that Seoul is still at the beginning of its review.

Vance points to S. Korea's 'political dynamics' amid uncertainty over Alaska LNG project

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Summary

U.S. Vice President JD Vance cited political dynamics in South Korea amid uncertainty over Seoul’s participation in the proposed Alaska LNG project. Speaking Tuesday while traveling in Alaska, Vance said the United States would pursue the project with South Korea, Japan or other nations. South Korea’s industry ministry said the project remains under review and requires commercial viability before any investment decision.

Key Facts

Vance said the project would proceed whether South Korea’s current or next government participates, or whether the United States works with Japan and other nations.
U.S. President Donald Trump listed the Alaska LNG project, a Texas gas-fired power plant and eight large-scale nuclear power plants among South Korea’s investment projects under a bilateral trade agreement.
South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said the Alaska LNG project previously failed to advance because of low commercial viability but gained strategic value after the war in the Middle East.
Kim said commercial rationality remains a precondition for South Korea’s participation and that Seoul has only begun reviewing the project.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 8, 2026 12:55 am KST

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks at a campaign rally at Fairbanks International Airport in Fairbanks, Alaska, Monday. Reuters-Yonhap

WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice President JD Vance has pointed to "political dynamics" in South Korea amid uncertainty over Seoul's participation in a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska, according to a U.S. media report Wednesday.

"I think you have some political dynamics, frankly, in South Korea, but we're going to get this done, whether the current government or the next government in South Korea, or frankly, whether we have to work with the Japanese and other nations, to get it done," Vance told Alaska's News Source in an interview on Tuesday while traveling the state.

Vance did not elaborate on what he meant by "political dynamics" in South Korea.

"People are desperate for the gas that comes out of the state. It's cheaper, it's higher quality, it's more reliable because it's coming from Alaska as opposed to some tin-pot dictatorship," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week announced South Korea's U.S. investment projects under last year's bilateral trade agreement: the construction of a gas-fired power plant in Texas, eight large-scale nuclear power plants and the LNG project in Alaska.

South Korea's industry ministry, however, said the Alaska LNG project had not yet been finalized, stressing that its commercial viability and other factors would need to be reviewed before any investment decision is made.

Vance also sought to distinguish the Trump administration's push for the long-discussed project from previous efforts to develop the pipeline." It's different because you have a president who delivers on his promises."

On Monday, the U.S. vice president said Seoul and Washington still need to "work out" details of the Alaska project, while expressing confidence that it will ultimately move forward.

South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said Tuesday the Alaska LNG project had previously failed to move forward due to its low commercial viability but has gained new strategic value following the war in the Middle East.

"It is true that the project had not moved forward because its commercial viability was clearly low," Kim said during a parliamentary audit in Seoul. "But it is also clear that it has gained new strategic value in the wake of the war in the Middle East."

Kim reiterated that "commercial rationality" remains a precondition for South Korea's participation and said Seoul is still at the stage of beginning its review of the project.

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