Yeo Han-koo, Trade Minister at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, visited the United States and discussed ways to boost Korea-U.S. trade and industrial cooperation with local governors.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) said on the 2nd that Deputy Minister Yeo attended the 2026 National Governors Association summer meeting held in Oklahoma City from the 30th of last month to the 1st of this month. Yeo met successively with governors from 11 states, including Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, to discuss the current state of trade and investment and directions for development. He introduced the status of cooperation in strategic industries where our corporations have entered, such as automobiles, batteries, energy, critical minerals, and shipbuilding, and asked for attention and support at the state government level.
In the nuclear power sector, cooperation outreach focused on Tennessee, Oklahoma, Utah, Louisiana, and Idaho, which were selected as candidate sites for the "Nuclear Full Cycle Innovation Campus." In particular, in meetings with the governors of Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Utah, MOTI said there was a consensus on the need for cooperation across the entire cycle, from securing uranium to nuclear plant construction and operation, and spent fuel management.
Deputy Minister Yeo also met with former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and agreed on the importance of cooperation in strategic industries such as shipbuilding and nuclear power. He then shared cooperation plans with 10 U.S. corporations in aerospace, biotech, defense, and finance at an Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce roundtable. Yeo had earlier discussed investment in the United States and the Coupang situation in Washington, D.C., from the 21st to 24th of last month, returning to the United States after a week.