[Anchor]

The South Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation initiative, the "MASGA" project, has officially kicked off. While we have decided to pour over 200 trillion won into the project, the U.S. applied pressure right from the start, stating it would "evaluate it by the numbers."

Reporting from Washington by Jeon Byeong-nam.

[Reporter]

Hats bearing the slogan "MASGA"—which aims to make American shipbuilding great again through cooperation with South Korea—are placed at each seat.

The opening ceremony of the South Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Cooperation Center was held in Washington, D.C., last night, U.S. time (the 23rd).

Alongside representatives from the shipbuilding companies of both countries, about 130 people attended, including Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan and South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha from the South Korean side, and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel from the U.S. side.

Minister Kim Jung-kwan emphasized that the center symbolizes South Korea's firm commitment to supporting the U.S. shipbuilding industry.

[Kim Jung-kwan / Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy : South Korea is ready to become the strongest partner for the United States to turn this (MASGA) vision into reality. South Korea strongly supports President Trump's "American Maritime Action Plan."]

In particular, he stated that warships and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers would be built in the United States, aiming to establish a robust domestic shipbuilding supply chain.

Previously, the South Korean government and the U.S. agreed to allocate 150 billion dollars—amounting to 224 trillion won in South Korean currency—out of the 350 billion dollar investment package for the U.S. toward the shipbuilding industry.

Secretary Lutnick emphasized "tangible results," delivering a message carrying a sense of pressure.

[Howard Lutnick / U.S. Secretary of Commerce : We (the United States) will evaluate this center based on South Korea's capital investment, facility modernization, worker training, supply chain establishment, and ultimately, the simple numbers showing how many ships the U.S. and South Korea have cooperated to produce within the United States.]

He also mentioned that the U.S. would provide necessary support, such as deregulation, and stated that all types of warships and commercial vessels must be built within the United States.

The two countries also signed 15 business agreements covering supply chain cooperation, workforce development, and joint research and development.

(Photo: Park Eun-ha | Video Editing: Chae Chul-ho)