WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump pressed South Korea to invest in an Alaska liquefied natural gas project, saying he would make the country pay more if it does not.
Trump made the remarks to reporters at the White House in Washington on the 2nd, saying of Korea's participation in the Alaska project, "I didn't announce it prematurely." He said he was fine if Korea did not want to take part, adding that he could simply charge the country more. He then turned the question back on reporters, asking whether they were saying Korea had not agreed to a deal, and told them to pass along that he would double the amount if an agreement was not reached soon.
Trump did not specify what he would charge. Given that Washington agreed to lower tariffs on Korean goods to 15% from 25% in return for Korean investment in the United States, the charge is presumed to refer to a tariff increase. Trump announced unilaterally at the White House on Sept. 30 that the Korean government would invest in the $50 billion Alaska LNG project. The Korean government pushed back, saying any investment in the project could begin only after a review of its economic feasibility and other factors.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told reporters at the Foreign Press Center in Washington the same day that Korea's investment projects in the United States would be a genuine win-win for the people of both countries. Asked about the gap between the two governments' accounts of the Alaska LNG project and other matters, he said what mattered was that the two sides had reached an agreement.
