Trump Announces $54 Billion South Korean Investment in Alaska LNG Pipeline

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that South Korea will invest $54 billion in the long-planned Alaska liquefied natural gas project, part of a $200 billion strategic investment package tied to last year's U.S.-South Korea trade agreement. The Alaska project includes an 807-mile pipeline from the North Slope to a liquefaction terminal on the state's southern coast, moving roughly 3.9 billion cubic feet of gas daily and producing up to 20 million metric tons of LNG annually for export to Asia. The package also covers eight large-scale nuclear reactors and a 6-gigawatt Texas power facility. The announcement falls under the $350 billion umbrella deal Seoul agreed to last year, split between $150 billion for shipbuilding and $200 billion for strategic investments, in exchange for lower U.S. tariffs on South Korean goods. South Korean opposition lawmakers questioned the investment's commercial viability and fiscal burden. The Alaska project carries political weight as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan faces a competitive November reelection challenge.