South Korean companies have pledged $150 billion in U.S. investments following a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. The funds will target sectors including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, shipbuilding, and nuclear energy. The commitments, if fulfilled, would represent nearly six times South Korea’s U.S. foreign direct investment in 2024, and include previously announced projects such as Samsung Electronics’ new Texas chip plant and Hyundai Motor’s Georgia car factory.
Among the major deals unveiled, Korean Air signed its largest-ever contract with Boeing for 103 aircraft worth $36.2 billion, alongside a $13.7 billion engine and maintenance deal with GE Aerospace. Hyundai Motor Group also boosted its U.S. investment plans to $26 billion, expanding auto production and building a steel mill in Louisiana. In energy, Korea Gas Corp agreed to import 3.3 million tonnes of U.S. LNG annually for a decade from 2028, while Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Doosan Enerbility partnered with U.S. firms on small modular reactor development and supply chains.
Shipbuilding and critical minerals cooperation also featured prominently, with HD Hyundai and Samsung Heavy Industries joining U.S. partners to strengthen maritime capacity and modernize shipyards. Korea Zinc secured a long-term germanium supply deal with Lockheed Martin, reinforcing rare metal supply chains. In addition to the $150 billion pledges, both countries agreed to a non-binding framework to steer a $350 billion investment fund proposed by Seoul, aimed at supporting strategic sectors such as chips, batteries, AI, and quantum computing.
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