South Korea’s Industry Ministry is due to present details to the National Assembly’s trade committee on a $350 billion investment commitment to the United States, a briefing that lawmakers and officials regard as one of the final domestic steps before Seoul and Washington can agree on implementation terms. The parliamentary schedule shows the session set for 9:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) on Tuesday.
The investment bundle was pledged as part of a trade arrangement reached last year, under which U.S. tariffs on South Korean imports were cut to 15% in exchange for Seoul committing to large-scale investment in U.S. manufacturing. Of the total $350 billion, $150 billion is explicitly earmarked for shipbuilding. The remaining $200 billion is described by officials as strategic investments but has not yet been finalised.
Media reports and officials indicate a number of major projects under discussion. One proposed project is a $22.3 billion, 6.3-gigawatt gas-fired power plant in Encinal, Texas, which is intended to supply electricity to AI data centres and chip factories. Separate reporting has suggested talks are ongoing over the potential construction of as many as eight large nuclear reactors in the United States.
Other options being explored include a minority equity stake in the U.S. nuclear company Westinghouse and possible participation in a long-delayed liquefied natural gas project in Alaska. Details on how these investments would be structured, and which of the proposed projects will be included in the final package, remain unresolved.
Commercial viability has become a central issue as negotiators move from outline commitments to project-level terms. President Lee Jae Myung has said that ensuring investments are "commercially reasonable" was a key objective for Seoul as discussions focused on returns, profit-sharing mechanisms and the allocation of losses where projects fail to deliver expected profits. Those commercial considerations have slowed progress toward final agreement.
Opposition lawmakers have pushed for enhanced parliamentary scrutiny, warning that South Korea could face disproportionate financial exposure, particularly in energy investments. Kim Sung-won, chair of the trade committee, said concerns had increased over the terms being negotiated for nuclear and power generation projects.
Delays carrying over into implementation could revive tensions with Washington. The United States had earlier this year signalled displeasure with the pace of implementation, including threats by President Donald Trump to raise tariffs if the agreement was not enacted on a satisfactory timeline. Against that backdrop, President Lee travelled to the United States on Monday to attend the UN General Assembly and to seek meetings with President Trump and other leaders.
The briefing to lawmakers, which was postponed last week while negotiators worked to reconcile U.S. and South Korean positions, is viewed domestically as a near-final procedural step prior to any public announcement of agreed project terms. With substantial sums still to be allocated and commercial terms yet to be settled, the timing and content of the Assembly briefing will be watched closely by political and market participants in the sectors most directly affected.