What conditions has South Korea set for participating in the proposed Alaska LNG project?

Kang said work on the project was subject to commercial reasonableness and applicable domestic legal requirements. Seoul has maintained that participation depends on a commercial viability review, despite the White House’s statement that $54 billion was tied to the project.

How much has South Korea agreed to invest in the proposed U.S. nuclear reactors, and how many are planned?

Kang said the two governments had agreed on a framework for up to $120 billion in Korean investment to build eight large-scale reactors in the United States. She said Korean and American companies would build them.

What did Donald Trump threaten if South Korea declined to invest in the Alaska LNG project?

Trump said that if South Korea did not want to invest in the Alaska project, he would charge it more. He made the remark last month.

S. Korean envoy reaffirms Seoul's conditional approach to proposed Alaska LNG project

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Summary

South Korea’s Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha reaffirmed Seoul’s willingness to work on the proposed Alaska LNG project while making participation conditional on commercial reasonableness and domestic legal requirements. In an opinion piece published in the Washington Post on Wednesday, she outlined progress on South Korea’s U.S. investment commitment. Her remarks came amid differences between Seoul and Washington over the project’s status and the amount of any Korean investment. Kang also said the two governments had agreed on a framework for up to $120 billion in Korean investment in eight large-scale U.S. nuclear reactors.

Key Facts

The White House previously said $54 billion was tied to the Alaska project, while Seoul maintained that participation remained subject to a commercial viability review.
Kang did not specify an investment figure for the Alaska LNG project.
The proposed nuclear reactors would be built by Korean and American companies.
Kang said long-term success in advanced technologies and other strategic sectors would depend on reliable partners and confidence that commitments would be honored.
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would charge South Korea more if it did not agree to invest in the Alaska project.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 12, 2026 3:27 am KST

Kang Kyung-wha, South Korean ambassador to the U.S., speaks during a parliamentary audit held at the Seoul embassy in Washington on Oct. 12. Yonhap

WASHINGTON — South Korea's top envoy to the United States on Wednesday reaffirmed Seoul's willingness to cooperate on a proposed Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project while emphasizing commercial and legal conditions for participation.

Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha made the remarks in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post, outlining progress in South Korea's US$350 billion investment commitment to the U.S.

"Korea and the U.S. have also agreed to commence working on the Alaska LNG project, subject to meeting commercial reasonableness and applicable domestic legal requirements," Kang wrote.

Her remarks came amid differences between Seoul and Washington over the status of the proposed project.

The White House previously said $54 billion was tied to the Alaska project, but Seoul has maintained that its participation remains subject to a commercial viability review.

Kang did not specify an investment figure for the Alaska project, even as she outlined financial commitments for other major energy initiatives in the United States.

She said the two governments had agreed on a framework for up to $120 billion in Korean investment to build eight large-scale nuclear reactors in the United States.

"This would involve up to $120 billion in Korean investment in eight large-scale reactors to be built by Korean and American companies," she wrote.

Kang also stressed the importance of mutual trust and honoring commitments as the alliance expands into advanced technologies and other strategic sectors.

"As our cooperation expands into advanced technologies and other strategic sectors, long-term success will depend not simply on short-term opportunities but on reliable partners and mutual confidence that commitments will be honored," she wrote.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to "charge" South Korea "more" if it does not agree to invest in the Alaska project. "If they don't want to do it, that's okay with me. I'll just charge them more," Trump said.

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