South Korea’s Kim to Visit Washington, Meet Lutnick on Shipbuilding, US Investment and Possibly Coupang

Kim to return to the US after more than two months

To attend July 23 opening of Korea-US Shipbuilding Cooperation Center in Washington

South Korea’s Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan will visit the US this week, with the Coupang issue also potentially coming up in high-level diplomatic and trade talks.

Kim is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the Korea-US Shipbuilding Cooperation Center, or KUSPC, in Washington on July 23, government officials said on July 19. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will also attend.

The trip will be Kim’s first visit to the US in more than two months, after his previous trip in early May. He plans to depart on July 22 and return on July 24.

The Korea-US Shipbuilding Cooperation Center will serve as a local base for implementing the Korea-US Shipbuilding Partnership Initiative, or KUSPI, which the two governments launched in May. The center will support efforts to attract investment into the US maritime industry, train shipbuilding workers, improve shipyard productivity and promote technology exchanges. It will also link government agencies, companies and research institutions in both countries.

The US Commerce Department will support the center’s cooperation with local shipbuilders, equipment makers, universities and research institutions, and act as its contact point within the US government. South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will provide the personnel and funding needed to run the center and coordinate with related ministries and the domestic shipbuilding industry. At the end of June, the ministry formally launched the Korea-US Strategic Investment Project Steering Committee and reviewed progress on candidate investment projects in the US as part of follow-up steps on bilateral strategic-industry cooperation.

The two sides are set to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in shipbuilding at the event. Because Kim and Lutnick are meeting again, the talks could also extend beyond shipbuilding to broader trade issues between the two countries.

The Coupang issue, which the US side has raised before, may be discussed again. During his previous trip to the US, Kim explained the South Korean government’s position on the matter to US officials.

Asked by reporters on his return trip whether the US had made any demands related to Coupang, Kim said, “I was actually the one who first raised the issue by asking whether they knew about Coupang, and I explained the Korean government’s basic position on the matter.” He added that the discussion appeared to help clear up misunderstandings.

The dispute over Coupang was sparked by a large personal data leak in November 2025. South Korea’s government conducted an investigation and follow-up measures under personal data protection laws. But some in the US government and political circles have argued that Coupang should be regarded as an American company and have raised concerns that Seoul’s response was discriminatory toward a US firm.

Park Su-bin, Hankyung.com reporter waterbean@hankyung.com