Trump plugs $54 billion Alaska LNG deal as South Korea commits $200 billion to US energy projects

From the Newshound archive · first published 1 October 2026.

South Korea has pledged $200 billion in US energy investment, with the centrepiece a $54 billion natural gas plant in Alaska unveiled by President Trump. The announcement is part of a broader trade deal between Washington and Seoul, and Trump made it flanked by a senator facing a tight re-election race. The scale of the commitment marks one of the largest foreign investment packages secured by any US president.

The $54 billion Alaska LNG project is the flagship element of a wider South Korean investment push across US energy infrastructure.

Trump chose to stage the announcement alongside a senator in a competitive race, turning the deal into a political asset on the campaign trail.

South Korea's total $200 billion pledge dwarfs the LNG plant alone, signalling a sweeping realignment of Seoul's energy and trade ties toward the US.