U.S. President Donald Trump stated that when he announced South Korea's participation in a $50 billion Alaska LNG project, he did not “announce first,” and warned Seoul that if they did not sign on quickly, they might have to pay a “double (double)” price.

Trump's remarks come at a time when there are disagreements between Washington and Seoul over South Korea's plans for energy and infrastructure investments in the United States. Trump announced some projects, but South Korea has stated that these projects have not yet been finalized.

“If they don’t want to do it, that’s fine by me. I’ll just charge them more money,” Trump told reporters on Friday, with the White House quoting his remarks. “Tell them that if they don’t sign soon, I’ll double the amount.”

Trump did not specify what exactly he meant by "doubling." Local Korean media speculated that he might be referring to imposing higher tariffs on South Korea.

When asked whether he announced Korea's participation in the Alaska LNG project too early, Trump stated that he "did not announce it ahead of time."

Previously, South Korea stated that it was still evaluating the LNG project in Alaska, and whether to participate would depend on the commercial viability of the project and whether it complies with domestic legal procedures.

In addition, Trump also stated on Truth Social on Friday that the investment agreements with South Korea are "getting better and better," and announced an additional $8.4 billion for strengthening oil extraction projects.

Enhanced oil recovery refers to the method of using technologies such as carbon dioxide injection to increase the production of crude oil from oil fields.

South Korean local media further reported, citing sources from the country's Ministry of Industry, that this oil extraction project is not part of the agreement reached between Seoul and Washington. The report states that the ministry is verifying Trump's claims and has already contacted the US side through trade channels to seek clarification.