US, South Korea at odds over Alaska LNG

US President Donald Trump has warned South Korea that it faces doubled charges if it does not swiftly sign on to a $50bn Alaska LNG project, Mettis Global reported. Trump rejected the claim that he had acted prematurely in discussing Seoul's participation, saying he would simply charge the country more if it stayed out. The White House said he wanted Seoul told that the doubling would apply shortly unless it signed, though the item to be doubled was not specified.

Seoul, for its part, is still reviewing the project and has linked any involvement to whether it makes business sense and fits within its domestic legal rules. Separately, Trump posted on Truth Social that the deal was improving, and he unveiled an additional $8.4bn for an enhanced oil recovery technique, which forces CO2 into oil fields to bring up more crude.

South Korean media, quoting the industry ministry, said the oil recovery initiative was not included in the arrangements agreed between Seoul and Washington. The conflicting accounts leave the scope of the South Korean investment deal unclear.