US does not rule out Korean-built warships, Seoul says

Byrnes-Tollefson Amendment remains key variable in Korean shipbuilding talks

The senior official’s remarks came during a briefing at the press center in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, providing an on-the-record Seoul assessment of the shipbuilding discussions since the two leaders met on Tuesday.

The official said the conversation between Trump and Lee was not “detailed or systematically structured” and that both sides need to “identify and fill in the gaps that we do not yet know” through working-level consultations after returning to their capitals.

U.S. legal restrictions are expected to be a central issue, the official said. The Byrnes-Tollefson Amendment limits construction of U.S. naval vessels in foreign shipyards, and the legal framework distinguishes among warships, military support vessels and commercial-type vessels used for military support, each with different applicable provisions.

“The legal provisions differ somewhat depending on the type of vessel, so we need to review them,” the official said.

“There is the issue of how to bypass or resolve current law,” the official said. “There appears to be room for presidential action and several possible methods, but the matter also seems related to Congress.”

South Korea plans to approach the negotiations by combining its shipbuilding competitiveness, bilateral investment cooperation and the joint shipbuilding project known as MASGA, according to the official.

“We have a high level of shipbuilding capability, and there are areas where South Korea and the United States need to invest together,” the official said. “With MASGA also in place, we will try to combine various elements well and pursue cooperation that meets expectations.”

Separately, the presidential office said it would continue communicating with Washington after the U.S. State Department expressed concern over South Korea’s revised Information and Communications Network Act. The official said Seoul would explain that the law is “not discriminatory treatment, but a reasonable response to protect consumer interests.”