[Anchor]

U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that South Korea has agreed to invest $8.4 billion in a U.S. enhanced oil recovery project. He also exerted overt pressure, warning that if South Korea does not agree to invest in Alaska, he could simply "charge them more."

Here is a report from Washington correspondent Lee Hanseok.

[Reporter]

This is a message U.S. President Trump abruptly posted on his social media, claiming that increasingly better deals are being made with South Korea.

He claimed that South Korea will invest $8.4 billion, approximately 11.3 trillion won, in an enhanced oil recovery project that injects carbon dioxide and other substances into oil fields to boost production.

Without providing specific details, he emphasized that it is beneficial for U.S. energy dominance.

Following the Alaska LNG project, this marks another instance where he unilaterally announced details that have not been agreed upon with the South Korean government.

As U.S. media pointed out that the previous Alaska LNG development project was also hastily announced without an agreement with South Korea, President Trump issued an overt warning that South Korea would face consequences if it refused.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: If they don't want to do it, that's fine. We can just charge them more. Tell them that if they don't sign a deal soon, we'll double the cost. You know what I mean?]

He did not specify what exactly would be doubled.

President Trump's remarks are interpreted as a suggestion that whether South Korea participates in the Alaska project could flare up as a new flashpoint for tariffs and overall trade.

Critics point out that President Trump, who has embarked on a nationwide campaign tour ahead of the midterm elections on November 3, is churning out unconfirmed investment announcements to rally voter support.

(Camera Reporter: Oh Jung-shik, Video Editing: Kim Byung-jik)