US President Donald Trump has said he did not "jump the gun" on announcing a Republic of Korea's investment in Alaska LNG, a liquefied natural gas project that has been planned for decades but still lacks binding commitments.
Trump unveiled plans on Wednesday for Korea to invest $200bn in US projects, but Seoul quickly suggested one key element, a $54bn pipeline for a long-planned LNG project in Alaska, was not yet set in stone.
"I didn't jump the gun. I mean, they were there and they were represented. And let's see, if they don't want to do it, that's okay with me. I'll just charge them more," he told reporters at the White House.
Trump also said on Friday that the US trade deal with Korea includes $8.4bn for a project to push out crude from an aging oilfield, although state-supported Yonhap news agency reported that an official from Seoul's industry ministry was surprised by the claim.
The official said the agreement is limited to what was in a joint fact sheet that Seoul and Washington released in November 2025. Press officials at Republic of Korea's embassy in Washington could not be immediately reached for comment.
Trump's push to steer the Korean investment into Alaska LNG is putting a fresh focus on a project that would cost more than twice as much as a comparable US Gulf Coast plant.
The project involves constructing a pipeline stretching over 800 miles (1,300 km) from the North Slope to an LNG liquefaction facility in Alaska's southern port of Nikiski.
Trump said Korea's $200bn investment would include the construction of eight large nuclear power plants, a natural gas pipeline and a 6-gigawatt power plant in Texas.
That announcement amounted to the first set of major projects under a broader $350bn strategic investment package Korea made as part of a trade agreement with Washington last year.
