South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party on Thursday said the country’s participation in an Alaska liquefied natural gas project has not been finalized, after President Donald Trump said the project was included in a broader U.S. investment package.
Democratic Party Secretary-General Han Jeong-ae wrote on Facebook that the Alaska LNG project “has not been confirmed” and said any decision would be made only after a review under domestic legal procedures and on the basis of commercial rationality. The party was responding to Trump’s statement on Wednesday that South Korea would invest in the Alaska LNG project as part of a $200 billion U.S. investment plan.
South Korea’s government had already told the National Assembly on Sept. 22 that the first project under the U.S. investment program would be a Texas gas-fired power plant project worth $22 billion, and that the Alaska LNG project would require further discussion between Seoul and Washington. Democratic lawmakers said Trump’s remarks appeared to present as settled a project that South Korea has not approved.
Rep. Oh Gi-hyung, the Democratic Party’s floor aide on the National Assembly’s planning and finance committee, also said lawmakers would review the matter based on commercial rationality. The dispute adds another layer to ongoing South Korea-U.S. talks over major energy and infrastructure investments.
