Trump Signs Executive Order to Rebuild US Shipbuilding Industry... Will Korea Benefit?

Trump Emphasizes Investment in Shipbuilding
Checks China Over Maritime Dominance

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the 9th (local time) aimed at restoring American maritime dominance by rebuilding the U.S. shipbuilding industry from a national security perspective. It is expected to benefit South Korea, which possesses one of the world's leading shipbuilding capabilities.

AP Yonhap News

At the White House, President Trump signed the executive order and stated, "We will spend a lot of money on shipbuilding," adding, "We are very far behind. We used to build one ship a day, but now we barely build one ship a year. And we have the capability to do so."

The executive order was prepared by the White House National Security Council (NSC) and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and includes directives to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to take measures targeting unfair practices by China in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors.

Earlier, the USTR announced plans to impose fees on international maritime transport services related to Chinese shipping companies and Chinese-made vessels.

Additionally, the order instructed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, to investigate and review the ship procurement processes of the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to improve efficiency.

President Trump has consistently emphasized the rebuilding of the shipbuilding industry. In his joint session speech to the U.S. Congress on the 4th of last month, he promised to "revive the American shipbuilding industry, including commercial and military ship construction," and pledged to establish a White House Shipbuilding Office and provide special tax benefits for the shipbuilding sector.

This executive order is widely analyzed as a positive development for the South Korean shipbuilding industry, which holds the world's number one shipbuilding competitiveness. During their first phone call the day before, President Trump and Acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo of South Korea mentioned shipbuilding as a field of cooperation between the two countries. Since Hanwha's acquisition of Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia last year, marking the first entry of a Korean company into the U.S. shipbuilding market, there has been a flood of interest from the U.S. political and business circles toward Korean shipbuilders such as HD Hyundai.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.