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Trump boasts coal export increase to Korea despite no explicit deal

Published: 12 Feb. 2026, 16:32 Updated: 12 Feb. 2026, 19:20

President Donald Trump speaks during an event on coal power in the East Room at the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. [AP/YONHAP]

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States would be able to "dramatically" increase exports of U.S. coal through trade agreements with countries including Korea. The deal, however, was not included in the fact sheet that the U.S. and Korea disclosed after the summit held last year.

"In just the past few months, we've made historic trade deals with Japan, Korea, India and others to increase our coal exports dramatically," Trump said at the "Champion of Coal" event held at the White House. "We are now exporting coal to all over the world."

This is the first time Trump has referred to coal exports in connection with a trade agreement with Korea. A joint fact sheet released by the White House following the Korea-United States summit on Nov. 13 last year, outlining trade agreements between the two leaders, did not include any mention of U.S. coal exports. It only stated that the United States welcomed various investments by Korean companies in sectors including shipbuilding, energy and semiconductors.

Some analysts interpret Trump’s remarks on coal exports as referring to Korea’s agreement to import U.S. energy during tariff negotiations between the two countries. Last July, the government announced that it had agreed to import a total of $100 billion worth of U.S. energy as part of tariff talks with Washington. Trump may have been referring to coal as part of that “U.S. energy” package, according to this interpretation.

The comments may also have been promotional rhetoric, iconic of Trump’s emphasis on his own achievements. During a press conference on Jan. 20 marking the first anniversary of his inauguration, Trump mentioned the Alaska gas development project and said he had secured unprecedented levels of investment funds from Korea and Japan through trade agreements, suggesting that part of the investment from the two countries could be used for the Alaska project.

Korea has not decided to invest in the Alaska gas project.

President Donald Trump talks with Kayla Blackford, a heavy equipment operator at Bear Run Mine near Carlisle, Indiana, during an event on coal power in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. [AP/YONHAP]

There is the possibility that Trump, who recently announced that tariffs on Korea would be raised again from 15 percent to 25 percent, may have mentioned coal exports as a way to pressure the Korean government during follow-up negotiations.

On Wednesday, Trump also signed an executive order directing the Department of War to enter into agreements with coal-fired power plants and new power purchase agreements.

Trump has consistently expressed skepticism and criticism toward international efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels in response to climate change.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM HYOUNG-GU [[email protected]]