[Anchor]

The South Korean government is showing a cautious stance in response to the pressure from U.S. President Trump, who has brought out a new card. It stated, "We will faithfully implement the agreement based on the fact sheet signed by the ministers of South Korea and the United States."

Reporter Sim Useop has the details.

[Reporter]

The joint agreement "fact sheet" was announced by the governments of South Korea and the United States on October 1.

It includes the agreement to pursue the Encinal gas-fired combined cycle power plant project in Texas as the first project for investment in the United States, while stating that eight large-scale nuclear power plant construction projects and the Alaska LNG development project will be subject to future discussions.

The enhanced oil recovery project, mentioned by President Trump as being worth $8.4 billion—a technology that injects gas and other substances into depleted oilfields to extract additional remaining oil—is not mentioned at all in the joint fact sheet.

Regarding the launch of the Alaska LNG project, President Trump said, "If South Korea does not agree, we will double it," leaving open the possibility of pressure tactics such as future tariff hikes or increased investment amounts.

The South Korean government's position is that what has been agreed upon regarding strategic investment is strictly what is specified in the joint fact sheet.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated, "We plan to faithfully implement the matters agreed upon by the two countries in the joint fact sheet and closely communicate with the U.S. to ensure it benefits both nations."

[Kim Young-man / Director-General for Trade Policy, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy: At our government level, it is somewhat inappropriate for us to individually comment on statements made by the U.S. President, and we will faithfully consult with the U.S. on the agreements contained in the joint fact sheet...]

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy explained that it has inquired with the U.S. side through trade channels regarding the newly mentioned enhanced oil recovery project.

(Video Editing: Kim Ho-jin, Design: Kim Ye-ji, Choi Jae-young)