Trump shrugs off South Korea’s uncertainty on $54B Alaska energy investment

President Trump brushed off questions Friday over whether he jumped the gun in announcing that South Korea would fund a natural gas pipeline in Alaska, which South Korean officials have said is still under discussion.

“Well, I didn’t jump the gun. I mean, they were there, and they were represented,” Trump told reporters before departing the White House for a campaign stop. “If they don’t want to do it, that’s OK with me. I’ll just charge them more.”

“Tell them if they don’t sign shortly, I’m going to double it up,” he added, apparently referring to tariffs.

The president announced Wednesday that South Korea would invest up to $200 billion in energy projects across the U.S., including a long-planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline in Alaska. It would also include eight nuclear power plants and a natural gas plant in Texas.

The deal came as part of a trade agreement between South Korea and the U.S. in which the U.S. would lower the tariff rate on South Korea to 15 percent. Trump said the investment from South Korea for the pipeline would be $54 billion.

But South Korean officials pushed back on the announcement.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung wrote on social media that the Alaska LNG project will proceed if its financial viability is confirmed and if the project complies with South Korean legal procedures.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said, “Putting out figures, or using definitive language, goes far beyond what was agreed.”