Cabinet endorses special law on $350 bln investment pledge to U.S.

▲ President Lee Jae Myung (2nd from L) presides over a Cabinet meeting held at the government complex in the administrative city of Sejong on March 17, 2026. (Yonhap)

Cabinet-US investment law

Cabinet endorses special law on $350 bln investment pledge to U.S.

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, March 17 (Yonhap) -- The Cabinet on Tuesday endorsed a special law to facilitate South Korea's US$350 billion investment pledge to the United States, paving the way for implementation of the commitment under a bilateral trade deal reached last year.

The approval came five days after the bill passed the National Assembly with bipartisan support, giving legal backing to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Seoul and Washington in November. The law will take effect three months after it is promulgated.

At the core of the legislation is the creation of a joint corporation to carry out Seoul's $350 billion investment commitment, along with a strategic investment fund to be set up under the entity.

Under the plan, $150 billion will be allocated to the shipbuilding sector, while the remaining $200 billion will go to projects that support the economic and national security interests of both countries.

The corporation will have capital of 2 trillion won ($1.34 billion), fully funded by the South Korean government. Details such as the timing and method of funding will be set by presidential decree.

The passage comes about two months after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to raise the "reciprocal" tariffs on South Korea from 15 percent to 25 percent, citing delays in Seoul's legislative process.

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