Vance points to S. Korea's 'political dynamics' amid uncertainty over Alaska LNG project

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Vice President JD Vance has pointed to "political dynamics" in South Korea amid uncertainty over Seoul's participation in a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska, according to a U.S. media report Wednesday.

"I think you have some political dynamics, frankly, in South Korea, but we're going to get this done, whether the current government or the next government in South Korea, or frankly, whether we have to work with the Japanese and other nations, to get it done," Vance told Alaska's News Source in an interview on Tuesday while traveling the state.

Vance did not elaborate on what he meant by "political dynamics" in South Korea.

"People are desperate for the gas that comes out of the state. It's cheaper, it's higher quality, it's more reliable because it's coming from Alaska as opposed to some tin-pot dictatorship," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week announced South Korea's U.S. investment projects under last year's bilateral trade agreement: the construction of a gas-fired power plant in Texas, eight large-scale nuclear power plants and the LNG project in Alaska.

This photo, released by Reuters, shows U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Oct. 5, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

South Korea's industry ministry, however, said the Alaska LNG project had not yet been finalized, stressing that its commercial viability and other factors would need to be reviewed before any investment decision is made.

Vance also sought to distinguish the Trump administration's push for the long-discussed project from previous efforts to develop the pipeline." It's different because you have a president who delivers on his promises."

On Monday, the U.S. vice president said Seoul and Washington still need to "work out" details of the Alaska project, while expressing confidence that it will ultimately move forward.

South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said Tuesday the Alaska LNG project had previously failed to move forward due to its low commercial viability but has gained new strategic value following the war in the Middle East.

"It is true that the project had not moved forward because its commercial viability was clearly low," Kim said during a parliamentary audit in Seoul. "But it is also clear that it has gained new strategic value in the wake of the war in the Middle East."

Kim reiterated that "commercial rationality" remains a precondition for South Korea's participation and said Seoul is still at the stage of beginning its review of the project.

odissy@yna.co.kr (END)

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Vance points to S. Korea's 'political dynamics' amid uncertainty over Alaska LNG project

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华盛顿，10 月 7 日（韩联社）——据美国媒体周三报道，美国副总统 JD Vance 指出，韩国的“政治动态”是导致首尔参与阿拉斯加拟议的液化天然气 (LNG) 项目存在不确定性的原因。

“坦白说，我认为韩国存在一些政治因素，但无论韩国现任政府还是下一届政府，或者坦白说，无论我们是否需要与日本和其他国家合作才能完成这件事，我们都会把它完成，”万斯周二在阿拉斯加州旅行期间接受阿拉斯加新闻社采访时表示。

范斯没有详细说明他所说的韩国“政治动态”是什么意思。

他说：“人们非常需要阿拉斯加州生产的天然气。它更便宜、质量更高、更可靠，因为它来自阿拉斯加，而不是来自某些小国独裁政权。”

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普上周宣布了韩国根据去年双边贸易协定在美国的投资项目：在德克萨斯州建设一座燃气发电厂、八座大型核电站以及在阿拉斯加建设液化天然气项目。

这张由路透社发布的照片​​显示，美国副总统约翰·迪·万斯于2026年10月5日在马里兰州安德鲁斯联合基地向记者发表讲话。（照片不得出售）（韩联社）

然而，韩国产业通商资源部表示，阿拉斯加液化天然气项目尚未最终确定，并强调在做出任何投资决定之前，需要审查其商业可行性和其他因素。

万斯还试图将特朗普政府推动这项讨论已久的项目与以往开发该输油管道的努力区分开来。“不同之处在于，我们现在有一位信守承诺的总统。”

周一，美国副总统表示，首尔和华盛顿仍需“敲定”阿拉斯加项目的细节，但他同时表示相信该项目最终会取得进展。

韩国工业部长金正冠周二表示，阿拉斯加液化天然气项目此前因商业可行性低而未能推进，但在中东战争后获得了新的战略价值。

金在首尔举行的国会听证会上表示：“该项目未能推进的确是因为其商业可行性明显较低。但同样显而易见的是，中东战争之后，该项目获得了新的战略价值。”

金重申，“商业理性”仍然是韩国参与该项目的前提条件，并表示首尔目前仍处于对该项目进行审查的初期阶段。

odissy@yna.co.kr (完)

首尔向华盛顿支付了24亿美元用于德克萨斯州能源项目：财政部长

万斯表示，美国和韩国仍需“敲定”阿拉斯加天然气项目的细节。

（导语）特朗普威胁称，如果韩国拒绝阿拉斯加液化天然气项目，将向其“收取更多费用”。

范斯指出，在阿拉斯加液化天然气项目前景不明朗的情况下，韩国的“政治动态”发挥了作用。