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U.S. senator suggests Korea jump on Alaskan natural gas pipeline project

Published: 21 Feb. 2025, 18:34 Updated: 22 Feb. 2025, 20:36

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong, right, shakes hands with Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy at a meeting in Washingon D.C. on Feb. 19.[EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA IN THE USA]

U.S. officials have proposed that Korea import more of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Alaska and participate in a pipeline project spearheaded by the Donald Trump administration, according to Korea’s embassy in the United States and a Maeil Business Newspaper report.

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska suggested to Korean politicians, including People Power Party Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae and Democratic Party Rep. Chung Dong-young, that the nation should import more gas from Alaska, rather than the Middle East, and participate in construction of the Alaska LNG pipeline during the delegation's visits to Washington and New York from Feb. 10–16, Maeil Business Newspaper reported Thursday.

It was the first time a U.S. official has openly floated Korea’s participation in the $44 billion LNG pipeline project since Trump took office for the second time, which includes constructing an 807-mile pipeline to transport natural gas from the Alaskan North Slope to a liquefaction facility in south-central Alaska. It will then be shipped overseas, primarily to U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific region.

Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong also discussed Korea’s involvement in Alaska’s energy export ambitions with the state's governor, Mike Dunleavy, at a meeting in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Korea's embassy in the United States said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

The governor expressed interest in cooperating with Korea to advance Alaska’s LNG project, outlined the project’s progress and discussed future cooperative measures with Ambassador Cho, according to the embassy.

Korea’s potential involvement in the Alaskan gas pipeline has been discussed as a bargaining chip to stave off potential tariffs on Korean exports, a strategy also under consideration by neighbor Japan. The two countries had, until 2023, taken a bearish stance on the pipeline due to its costs and slow progress, but they have changed tune as a hedge against the Trump administration’s protectionist stance and policies pivoting to fossil fuels, such as increasing U.S. LNG exports and expanding offshore drilling.

Trump signed an executive order after assuming office on Jan. 20 that promised to prioritize the development of Alaska’s LNG sources, including its sale and transportation to “allied nations within the Pacific region.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed Japan’s intent to import energy, including LNG, from the United States, at a news conference on Feb. 7 during Trump’s visit to the country.

“Japan will soon begin importing historic new shipments of clean American liquefied natural gas in record numbers […] We’re talking about the pipeline in Alaska,” Trump said at the joint news conference, adding that a Japan-U.S. joint venture for Alaskan oil and gas was under discussion.

India and the European Union have also expressed interest in increasing U.S. LNG imports during trade negotiations, while Taiwan’s economic ministry is considering Alaskan natural gas.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]