Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

Minister JK (Jung-Kwan) Kim of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) will visit Washington, D.C., from July 22 to July 25, 2026, to accelerate trade and investment cooperation between Korea and the United States.

Minister Kim will first meet with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to discuss key bilateral issues, including Korea’s strategic investment in the United States. He will also meet with other U.S. government officials, including Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation on resources and energy. In addition, Minister Kim will conduct outreach to the U.S. Congress and other key stakeholders to improve mutual understanding of bilateral trade and investment issues.

On July 23, 2026, Minister Kim will attend the opening ceremony of the Korea–U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Center in Washington, D.C., together with senior U.S. officials and representatives from Korean and U.S. shipbuilding companies. The Center is a follow-up to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the Korea–U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Initiative (KUSPI), signed by MOTIR and the U.S. Department of Commerce on May 8, 2026. Through the Center, the two sides plan to support cooperation between Korean and U.S. shipbuilders and develop tangible outcomes.

“The government has begun full-scale work to advance strategic investment projects in the United States under the Korea–U.S. Strategic Investment Special Act, which took effect on June 18, 2026,” Minister Kim said. “This visit will allow us to set out more concrete directions for these projects and implement the Korea–U.S. tariff agreement as planned. We will do everything possible to keep bilateral trade relations stable.”