The United States wants to physically locate critical minerals processing inside its own borders, and is seeking help from South Korean firms to make that happen. Korea Zinc’s planned smelting and processing complex in Tennessee will operate through a joint venture, Crucible Metals, and is modeled after Korea Zinc’s Onsan Smelter in Ulsan. Backed by…
March 12, 2026
Q4 2024 was the first full quarter where the new U.S.-South Korea trade agenda hit the ground. A 15 percent tariff rate went into effect, a USD 350 billion investment commitment was formalized, and both sides started turning months of negotiations into concrete deals. The October 31 strategic investment memorandum of understanding (MOU), which the…
February 6, 2026
The U.S.-South Korea relationship underwent profound changes in 2025 due to a myriad of factors, including new leadership, protectionist trade policies, and continued volatility on the Korean Peninsula and across the Indo-Pacific. As both countries grapple with new realities in the bilateral relationship, Seoul faces the challenge of strengthening alliance credibility while expanding strategic autonomy…
February 2, 2026
The following is part of a new miniseries from KEI surveying the most important developments and trends in the U.S.-South Korea relationship in 2025. You can read all year-in-review pieces by clicking here. Throughout 2025, economic policy and national security became increasingly interconnected, with the United States treating trade deficits and supply chain vulnerabilities as…