By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
This story has been updated with additional information.
A protest by South Korea about President Donald Trump’s false announcement that country is investing $54 billion in a long-proposed natural gas pipeline in Alaska has been filed with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, according to media reports.
The announcement by Trump at the White House on Wednesday, with three statewide Alaska Republican leaders among the attendees, "went far beyond what was agreed," said South Korea Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, according to The Korea Times.
Korea JoonGang Daily, quoting Kim at a press conference Thursday, reported he said "we judge it on commercial viability and if it doesn't pass we don't proceed," Kim said.
"The U.S. appears eager to use this project for domestic purposes," he said. "I raised a strong objection to that with Commerce Secretary Lutnick this morning. He responded that he understood Korea's concerns and would do his best to make the project succeed together with Korea."
The claimed $54 billion investment roughly matches the cost estimate for the Alaska LNG Project by its primary developer, Glenfarne Group LLC, although the state Department of Revenue told legislators that cost overruns could result in a price tag exceeding $90 billion. Legislation offering tax breaks to...
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul stressed earlier this year she would be cracking down on auto insurance fraud statewide. Several months later, her office has announced more than a dozen related arrests.