U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Friday that South Korea would face increased charges if it does not proceed with a planned investment in a $50 billion Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project. His comments followed reports that South Korean officials had not yet finalized their country’s participation in the energy deal, which was announced at the White House earlier in the week.
According to a transcript released by the White House, Trump told reporters, “If they don’t want to do it, that’s OK with me. I’ll just charge them more.” He added, “Tell them if they don’t sign shortly, I’m going to double it up.” The president did not specify which costs would be subject to an increase. When asked if he had announced South Korea’s participation prematurely, Trump responded that he “didn’t jump the gun.”
The president’s remarks came after South Korea’s government stated it was still assessing the Alaska LNG project. According to reports from South Korean media, officials said that any final decision on participation would be contingent upon the project’s commercial viability and must comply with the country’s domestic legal procedures.
The initial joint announcement was made on Sept. 30 at the White House, where President Trump was joined by officials including Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and members of his cabinet. At the event, a $54 billion investment from South Korea was detailed, with the Alaska LNG project as a centerpiece.
In a separate development on Friday, Trump announced an additional investment via a post on the social media platform Truth Social. He stated that the deal included an $8.4 billion enhanced oil recovery project, a process used to increase crude oil extraction from a field.
In response, South Korean media, citing the country’s industry ministry, reported that this oil recovery project was not included in the agreements reached between Washington and Seoul. The reports indicated that the ministry was seeking clarification from the U.S. through official trade channels to verify the president’s announcement.
