South Korea to Announce Over $100 Billion in U.S. Energy Investment to Support American AI Buildout

Odaily News: According to The Wall Street Journal, the South Korean government is set to announce a major energy investment project in the United States to support America's artificial intelligence buildout, marking a long-awaited development under the trade agreement reached between Washington and Seoul last year. According to people familiar with the matter, the deal has a potential value of over $100 billion, with South Korea planning to fund the construction of up to eight nuclear power plants and one natural gas project. Trump and Lee Jae-myung reached an agreement last October under which the U.S. would reduce most tariffs from 25% to 15%, including those on South Korea's automotive industry. In exchange, South Korea pledged to invest $350 billion in the United States and purchase an additional $100 billion worth of American energy. Until now, no projects had materialized, drawing dissatisfaction from U.S. officials including Trump. Trump threatened in January to raise tariffs on South Korea once again. The two sides are currently close to finalizing two agreements, which could be announced as early as next week.