Trump Presses South Korea for Swift Commitment to Alaska LNG Project

U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on South Korea to join a multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas project in Alaska, warning that Seoul could face higher costs if it does not commit soon. The remarks sharpen a disagreement over whether South Korean participation has already been settled.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump rejected suggestions that he had announced South Korea’s involvement before an agreement was complete. He said South Korean representatives had been present and indicated that Washington could impose a greater financial burden if Seoul declined to sign. Trump did not explain whether that warning referred to tariffs, investment obligations or another cost.

The comments followed Trump’s announcement earlier in the week of a group of South Korean investments in U.S. energy infrastructure. The projects were presented within a broader $350 billion investment package connected to last year’s bilateral trade agreement. U.S. officials said more than $50 billion would go to the Alaska LNG development, which they have described as a roughly $54 billion undertaking.

The proposed development would move natural gas from Alaska’s North Slope through a pipeline to a liquefaction and export facility in the south of the state. The project is intended to supply overseas customers, including markets in Asia, but its cost and commercial prospects have long been central questions for potential investors.

South Korea’s government has maintained that no final decision has been made on either participation or the size of any investment. Seoul says the proposal must still undergo negotiations and reviews of commercial feasibility, legal requirements and policy considerations. That position contrasts with the certainty of the U.S. administration’s public presentation.

The dispute puts Seoul in a delicate position. South Korea depends heavily on imported energy and has reasons to diversify supply routes, but any large overseas commitment must also meet domestic standards for financial viability and legal approval. The lack of detail in Trump’s warning adds uncertainty to those calculations.

The Alaska proposal is one part of a wider energy package that U.S. officials say also includes eight large nuclear reactors and a $22.3 billion gas-fired power complex in Texas. Seoul has distinguished between projects that have cleared review and proposals that remain conditional.

Further talks will need to determine whether the Alaska development can satisfy South Korea’s commercial tests and what consequences, if any, Washington might pursue if Seoul declines. For now, the two allies remain publicly divided over whether participation is an agreed commitment or an option still under examination.