The government said on the 18th that it asked the United States to apply tariff exemptions to ship parts, steel products, and other shipbuilding equipment. It conveyed the view that this is necessary to smoothly carry out the MASGA (Make American Shipbuilding Great Again) project.
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, Deputy Minister for Industrial Policy Park Dong-il met with Rick Siger, Minister of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul that day to discuss ways to expand South Korea–U.S. shipbuilding cooperation.
At the meeting, Deputy Minister Park said, "Various cooperative projects are being reviewed for the 'MASGA project' to rebuild U.S. shipbuilding, including expanding production capacity, training workers, and strengthening supply chains," and added, "In particular, support at the Pennsylvania state level is important so that the Philly shipyard can serve as a key hub."
Park also emphasized the need to shorten administrative procedures such as permits for shipyard expansion work and to build preemptive infrastructure to meet transportation and power demand. In addition, Park suggested designating the Philly area as a Marine Prosperity Zone (MPZ) being pursued under the Marine Action Plan (MAP) that the U.S. government released in February. Park also mentioned the need for government-level incentives in light of high labor costs in the United States.
Park also proposed cooperation plans using the program to support U.S. expansion by small and midsize shipbuilders and equipment corporations (2026–2028) that the Korean government is pushing and the South Korea–U.S. Shipbuilding Cooperation Center, which is scheduled to open this year. Park also expressed hope to expand cooperation with Pennsylvania's universities and research institutions in various fields, including industrial artificial intelligence transformation (AX).
A Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) official said, "We plan to continue consultations with the U.S. side to create a favorable investment environment for our corporations so that the MASGA project can lead to a cooperative effort that benefits both South Korea and the United States."