President Lee Visits Philly Shipyard…"Korea and the U.S. Will Achieve Win-Win Results"

President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting the United States, visited Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia on the afternoon of the 26th (local time). Immediately after completing a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump the previous day, he visited the shipyard site, demonstrating a strong intention to expand Korea-U.S. cooperation in the shipbuilding industry.

Notably, this visit is seen as highly symbolic because it is directly connected to the 'MASGA' (Make American Shipbuilding Great Again) project, which played a key role in recent U.S.-Korea tariff negotiations.

At the shipyard, President Lee attended the naming ceremony for the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, 'State of Maine', commissioned by the U.S. Maritime Administration. The naming ceremony is a traditional event which officially gives a ship its name and wishes for safe navigation. On this occasion, the event became a stage to highlight the achievements and future vision of Korea-U.S. shipbuilding collaboration.

In his congratulatory speech, President Lee stated, "Korea’s shipbuilding industry is embarking on a new path to strengthen U.S. maritime security and contribute to the revival of the American shipbuilding industry. As the president of an allied country, I am very pleased," adding, "Through the MASGA project, the Korean and U.S. shipbuilding industries will achieve 'win-win' results together."

He continued, "The 'Make American Shipbuilding Great Again Project' that I proposed to President Trump is not just about building giant warships and cutting-edge vessels. It is a grand vision to restore lost dreams."

He added, "The driving force behind Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation are the businesspeople and workers gathered here. Since Hanwha Ocean invested in Philly Shipyard, numerous American apprentices have flocked here. The dream of becoming a global shipbuilding powerhouse is once again taking root among the youth of Philadelphia."

Further, he said, "Philly Shipyard will be reborn as America’s top shipyard showcasing state-of-the-art vessel technology, and the shipbuilding industry will be revived throughout the U.S. coastal belt. Just as Korean entrepreneurs and workers achieved the ‘K-shipbuilding miracle’ on barren land, let’s unite our strength to realize the miracle of MASGA."

Subsequently, Hanwha won an order from the U.S. Maritime Administration to build five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels worth about $300 million. The ‘State of Maine’, for which the naming ceremony took place this time, is one of these vessels; it serves as a maritime academy cadet training ship in peacetime and takes on disaster response and rescue missions in emergencies.

Particularly, Korean shipbuilding specialist DSEC participated in the design and supply of equipment for this project. The presidential office emphasized this as a representative example of Korea–U.S. shipbuilding cooperation.

At the naming ceremony were President Lee, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan, Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-chul, and Philly Shipyard CEO David Kim. On the U.S. side, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Democratic U.S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon attended.

Reporter Hyunbo Shin, Hankyung.com greaterfool@hankyung.com