Trump to Directly Announce U.S. Investment Plans Today... Will He Finalize 'Alaska LNG'?

[Anchor]

U.S. President Donald Trump will directly announce details regarding South Korea's investment projects in the United States early today, Korea time. It appears highly likely that President Trump will unilaterally announce an investment in the Alaska LNG project, which had still been under consultation due to unassured profitability.

Here is reporter Kim Young-a with the details.

[Reporter]

U.S. President Donald Trump will announce the selection of U.S. investment projects at 4:30 AM, Korea time.

While specific details have not been disclosed, Reuters and Bloomberg reported that President Trump will reveal that "South Korea will invest 54 billion dollars, approximately 73 trillion won, in the Alaska LNG project."

The Alaska LNG project is a large-scale undertaking to transport natural gas from the North Slope through a pipeline of about 1,300 kilometers to southern Alaska for liquefaction.

The plan is to make long-term exports of LNG to Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, but major energy companies like ExxonMobil pulled out 10 years ago, citing a lack of commercial viability.

Reporting to the National Assembly on September 22, the government stated that the construction of the Encinal gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Texas was the first U.S. investment project, while classifying the Alaska LNG project as an issue requiring further consultation.

President Lee Jae-myung also emphasized commercial rationality on September 18, stating, "There are parts that are not easy to agree with, so discussions are underway again."

[President Lee Jae-myung (September 18) : We only pursue projects with commercial rationality. The law is structured that way as well. Commercial rationality must be reviewed.]

The government stated that participation in the Alaska LNG project has not yet been finalized and that it will decide whether to participate after weighing its commercial rationality.

However, under the memorandum of understanding signed with the U.S. last year and the Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment Special Act, investment destinations are to be chosen by the U.S. president following consultations between the two countries.

Even if President Trump, who has shown strong determination toward this project, makes a unilateral announcement, it would be difficult to block.

Republican senators, representatives, and the governor of Alaska are reportedly scheduled to attend the announcement. There are speculations that to support the November midterm elections, President Trump might bypass consultations with South Korea and lock in South Korea's investment in Alaska LNG.

(Video editing: Lee Seung-yeol)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.