South Korean Lawmaker Seeks Parliamentary Review of US Investment Package

A South Korean opposition lawmaker has urged formal parliamentary approval of the country's planned investment package in the United States, warning that ongoing negotiations over energy projects could expose Seoul to disproportionate financial risks.

Kim Sung-won, who chairs the National Assembly's trade committee, said he met South Korea's top trade envoy, Park Jung-sung, to review the status of the talks. In a Facebook post, Kim said the situation becomes "more worrying the closer one looks," pointing to concerns that South Korean-designed nuclear reactors could be blocked from entering the US market and that conditions for a power plant project were deteriorating.

He also raised the prospect that the United States could capture most of the profits while South Korea absorbed potential losses.

The discussions are part of South Korea's broader $350 billion investment commitment to the US, agreed under a trade deal that lowered US tariffs on South Korean goods to 15%. Implementation has been delayed, and US President Donald Trump threatened South Korea with higher tariffs earlier this year.

The two governments have been negotiating energy investments, including a large gas-fired power project in Texas and a plan to build up to eight nuclear reactors. Media reports said the talks have been complicated by differences over reactor technology, financing, and the allocation of profits and losses.

Kim, a member of the opposition People Power Party, criticised the government's plan to provide lawmakers with an Industry Ministry briefing instead of seeking formal consent. He noted that South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had acknowledged some elements of the negotiations would not be easy to accept.

Speaking to aides on Monday before departing for the UN General Assembly in the United States, Lee said: "We face a number of external challenges... But I believe if we deliberate calmly, make sound judgments and decisions with the lives and safety of our people and South Korea's national interests as our foremost principles, we can find wise solutions."

The Industry Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawmaker's call for parliamentary approval. The ministry postponed a planned parliamentary briefing last week, saying more time was needed as talks with Washington continued. The briefing is now expected to take place on Tuesday, according to a Seoul official familiar with the issue and media reports.