Vance vows to complete Alaska LNG project, presses South Korea

US Vice President JD Vance acknowledged disagreements with the South Korean government over the Alaska LNG development project while reaffirming the Trump administration's commitment to seeing it through, in remarks widely interpreted as ratcheting up pressure on Seoul.

Speaking to Alaska local broadcaster Alaska News Source on Tuesday (local time), Vance said he believed there were "some political dynamics in South Korea," but added that the administration would press ahead regardless. "Whether it's the current South Korean government or the next one, or frankly whether we have to work with Japan or other countries, we're going to get this project done," he said.

The remarks appeared to characterize South Korea's stated position — that it would review the LNG project only on commercial merits and that participation had not been finalized — as a matter of domestic politics rather than a substantive objection. The comments also highlighted a gap with President Donald Trump, who has spoken of South Korean investment in the Alaska LNG project as a done deal. Vance nonetheless stressed that the Trump administration's resolve to push the project forward remained unchanged.

"People desperately want the natural gas that comes from Alaska," Vance said, adding that Alaskan gas was "cheaper, higher quality and more reliable than gas coming from some tinpot dictatorship."

He reiterated the administration's determination to deliver on the project, citing strong demand for Alaskan gas. "We're going to make this happen," he said.

Vance traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska, on Wednesday to campaign for Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, who is seeking reelection. At the event, Sullivan said the project now had its financing secured. "There's still a lot of discussion going on about the negotiations and the structure, but that's the biggest difference" from before, he said.

Trump announced on Sept. 30 a $200 billion non-shipbuilding South Korean investment package and said South Korea had agreed to invest more than $50 billion in the Alaska LNG project. The South Korean government, however, said no such investment had been finalized, and the fact sheets released by both governments stated only that the project would be reviewed.

After foreign media reported that Seoul had denied finalizing its investment in the Alaska LNG project, Trump on Friday warned that South Korea would face higher costs if it did not move forward, pressing for a swift agreement.

Alaska has traditionally leaned Republican, but recent polling has shown Democratic candidate Mary Peltola leading incumbent Sullivan. The Trump administration's repeated invocation of the Alaska LNG project is widely seen as a rhetorical boost for Sullivan's reelection campaign.