On July 9, the Blue House stated that it does not rule out the possibility of constructing military vessels in South Korea, following discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump.
A senior official from the Blue House spoke to reporters at a press center in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, saying, "We are getting the impression that building in Korea is not being excluded." The official added that further clarification is needed regarding whether this pertains to specific blocks of the vessels.
Earlier, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung met with President Trump on July 7 during the NATO summit to discuss follow-up talks on shipbuilding.
When asked about the specific requests made by President Trump, the Blue House official noted, "The conversation between the two leaders was not a detailed and systematic discussion. We need to conduct further practical consultations to clarify the details and fill in the gaps we are unaware of."
Current U.S. law mandates that military vessels must be built within the United States. However, there are speculations that to expedite the construction of ten U.S. warships as requested by Trump, the law may need to be relaxed or new shipbuilding methods developed.
The official explained, "The issue is how to circumvent or resolve the current law, which may involve some space for the president to maneuver, but it seems to be related to Congress."
Looking ahead, the official stated, "Once we return to Seoul and the U.S. team goes back to Washington, we plan to gather more information and hold additional consultations. We have a high level of shipbuilding capability, and there are areas where investment is needed between Korea and the U.S. With MASGA in play, we aim to combine various elements to meet expectations for cooperation."
Regarding recent concerns expressed by the U.S. State Department about South Korea's amended Telecommunications Business Act, the official remarked, "We need to provide further explanations. We are not engaging in discriminatory practices; rather, we are taking appropriate measures to protect consumer interests, and we will work to resolve any differences through better communication."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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