Concerns were raised during a national audit regarding the government's transfer of $2.4 billion to the United States on October 1, with allegations that proper legislative procedures were not followed.
During the National Assembly's Finance and Economy Committee audit on October 6, Rep. Im Yi-ja of the ruling People Power Party questioned Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lee Hyung-il, asking, "Was the $2.4 billion transferred on October 1 after the fact sheet was jointly announced by South Korea and the U.S. on September 30 and October 1?" Lee confirmed, "Yes," officially acknowledging the transfer.
Earlier, South Korea and the U.S. finalized 'Project Star' on October 1, agreeing to construct and operate a gas-fired combined cycle power plant for an AI data center in the Encinada region of Texas, with a capacity of 6.472 gigawatts.
Approximately 10% of the total project cost of $22.3 billion was transferred immediately after the agreement, marking the first official confirmation from the government.
Rep. Im emphasized, "If it is deemed commercially viable, it should have been reported in advance; if not, it requires National Assembly approval, but there was no discussion on this matter at all." In response, Lee stated, "We included it in the fact sheet after going through the National Assembly reporting process, and we believe the commercial viability and rationality of the Texas power plant project have been met."
Im also pointed out that there are conflicting messages regarding 'Project North' (Alaska liquefied natural gas development), which has a scale of $54 billion.
Lee explained, "We are discussing the contents as stated in the fact sheet, and Project North is still in the review stage. We need to evaluate its commercial viability and will continue to review it in a way that enhances its commercial appeal."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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