Vance says US, S. Korea still need to 'work out' details of Alaska gas project

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Monday in Washington that the United States and South Korea still need to work out details of a proposed Alaska liquefied natural gas project. He expressed confidence that the pipeline will move forward, citing strong Asian demand for American natural gas. South Korea’s industry ministry said the project has not been finalized and requires reviews of commercial viability and other factors before an investment decision.

Vance said Japan, like South Korea, would welcome the Alaska pipeline because East Asian economies face higher natural gas prices.

The proposed project is part of South Korea’s U.S. investment projects announced by President Donald Trump under last year’s bilateral trade agreement.

South Korea’s announced investment projects also include a gas-fired power plant in Texas and eight large-scale nuclear power plants.

Published Oct 6, 2026 3:38 am KST

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a campaign rally in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds in Lakeland, Florida, on Oct. 1. AFP-Yonhap

WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Monday the United States and South Korea still need to "work out" details of a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska, while expressing confidence that the project will ultimately move forward amid strong Asian demand for American gas.

"The pipeline is something that we really want to see happen and a lot of our Asian friends want to happen as well," Vance said, according to a White House pool report. "It's not just the South Koreans. The Japanese would love to see this pipeline."

"So I think it's something that's going to happen," he said. "Obviously, you still got to work out some of the details and the South Koreans, you know, have spoken to that."

Vance said East Asian economies that have faced higher natural gas prices would benefit from increased supplies of U.S. gas.

"When there's a demand for this stuff and there really is strong demand for American natural gas, I think we're going to be able to get it done," he added.

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.

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.

美国副总统万斯周一在华盛顿表示，美国和韩国仍需敲定拟建的阿拉斯加液化天然气项目细节。他表示对该管道项目推进充满信心，并指出亚洲对美国天然气的需求强劲。韩国产业通商资源部则表示，该项目尚未最终确定，在做出投资决定前，还需要对商业可行性和其他因素进行评估。

万斯表示，日本和韩国一样，会欢迎阿拉斯加输油管道，因为东亚经济体面临着更高的天然气价格。

该项目是韩国对美投资项目的一部分，这些项目是唐纳德·特朗普总统根据去年签署的双边贸易协定宣布的。

韩国宣布的投资项目还包括在德克萨斯州建设一座燃气发电厂和八座大型核电站。

发布于2026年10月6日凌晨3:38（韩国标准时间）

10月1日，美国副总统万斯在佛罗里达州莱克兰市出席支持共和党州长候选人拜伦·唐纳兹的竞选集会并发表讲话。（法新社-韩联社）

华盛顿——美国副总统万斯周一表示，美国和韩国仍需“敲定”阿拉斯加液化天然气（LNG）项目的细节，但他同时表示，鉴于亚洲对美国天然气的强劲需求，他相信该项目最终会取得进展。

据白宫随行记者团报道，万斯表示：“我们非常希望看到这条输油管道建成，我们的许多亚洲朋友也希望如此。不仅仅是韩国人，日本人也非常希望看到这条输油管道建成。”

“所以我认为这件事一定会发生，”他说。“当然，还有一些细节需要敲定，韩国方面也谈到了这一点。”

万斯表示，面临天然气价格上涨的东亚经济体将受益于美国天然气供应的增加。

“当市场对这种产品有需求时，而美国天然气的需求确实很强劲，我认为我们能够实现这个目标，”他补充道。

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。

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。