Trade chief meets 11 US governors, business leaders in nuclear, investment outreach

South Korea's chief trade negotiator Yeo Han-koo met with US state governors during a visit to the United States, conducting outreach on investment and commercial cooperation between the two countries.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Yeo attended the 2026 National Governors Association Summer Meeting in Oklahoma City from Thursday through Saturday (local time), holding talks with governors and other key figures from across the country as well as business representatives.

During the meeting, Yeo sat down with 11 governors — including Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox — exchanging views on the current state of bilateral trade and investment and the path forward.

He briefed each governor on cooperation in advanced and strategic industries where Korean companies have a presence — including automobiles, batteries, energy, critical minerals and shipbuilding — and called for active state-level support to identify mutually beneficial opportunities and strengthen partnerships.

On nuclear energy in particular, Yeo focused his outreach on states recently selected as candidate sites for a full-cycle nuclear innovation campus — Tennessee, Oklahoma, Utah, Louisiana and Idaho — to advance Korea-US nuclear cooperation.

In his meetings with the governors of Tennessee, Oklahoma and Utah, Yeo built consensus on the need for cooperation across the full nuclear cycle, from uranium supply and plant construction and operation to spent fuel management, the ministry said.

"State governments play a central role in supporting Korean companies' investments and activities in the United States, and that support is essential for translating strategic bilateral cooperation into tangible results," Yeo said. "Let us actively identify and pursue projects where both sides can win."

Yeo also exchanged views on current trade issues with former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and the two agreed on the importance of Korea-US cooperation in strategic industries such as shipbuilding and nuclear energy.

At a business roundtable hosted by the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce, Yeo shared the status and plans for bilateral cooperation with 10 US companies in aerospace, biotech, defense, finance and other sectors, and conveyed the Korean government's commitment to supporting private-sector economic cooperation.

Yeo had also visited Washington, D.C., from July 21 to 24, meeting with senior figures from the US administration, Congress and industry to discuss Korean investment in the United States, cooperation in key industries and the Coupang Inc. dispute. He returned to the United States just a week later to continue the outreach.