94Ha ViewpointSouth Korea and the United States agreed to set up a working-level group to discuss issues such as pipeline construction, energy, shipbuilding, tariffs and non-tariff barriers. Sources said Japanese officials have not yet agreed to participate in the construction of the Alaska natural gas pipeline, but agreed to investigate the project.
U.S. President Trump said that Japan, South Korea and other countries are interested in working with the United States to build a giant natural gas pipeline in Alaska.
Trump said in a speech to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday (March 4) that “Japan, South Korea and other countries want to be our partners, and they will each invest trillions of dollars.” He said that once the natural gas pipeline is built, it will be one of the largest pipelines in the world.
The South Korean Ministry of Industry revealed that South Korean Industry Minister Ahn De-gun discussed the natural gas pipeline project with U.S. officials during his visit to Washington last week, but no details have been confirmed. The South Korean side said that “it will actively discuss with the U.S. side because this matter concerns the common interests of the two countries.”
Ahn De-gun said earlier on Tuesday that the United States has asked South Korea and other countries whether they are interested in participating in the Alaska liquefied natural gas project. He revealed that Seoul and Washington agreed to set up a working-level group to discuss issues such as pipeline construction, energy, shipbuilding, tariffs and non-tariff barriers.
Sources said that Japanese officials have not yet agreed to participate in the construction of the Alaska natural gas pipeline, but have agreed to investigate the project. In addition, Japan’s trade minister will travel to Washington this month to seek tariff exemptions from the United States and discuss purchasing more liquefied natural gas from the United States.
Bergm, co-chair of the White House National Energy Leading Committee, said recently that building this 800-mile (about 1,287 kilometers) natural gas pipeline in Alaska will not only help the United States sell energy to its allies, but also earn revenue for the U.S. Treasury.
Although the project faces obstacles in terms of cost and logistics, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan generally support importing more natural gas from the United States.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in Congress on Wednesday (5th) that increasing imports of natural gas, bioethanol and ammonia from the United States “is in the national interests of Japan and the United States” because it will stabilize Japan’s energy supply while reducing the U.S. trade deficit. He said that Japan will carefully study the technical feasibility and profitability of the joint construction of the natural gas pipeline project.
