Lutnick calls for tangible results from Korea-US shipbuilding cooperation, vows to clear regulatory roadblocks

WASHINGTON — U.S.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday stressed the importance of producing tangible results from shipbuilding cooperation with South Korea, pledging to help address regulatory roadblocks that Korean enterprises may face in the United States.

Lutnick made the remarks during an event marking the opening of the Korea-U.S.

Shipbuilding Partnership Center (KUSPC) in Washington — a platform to facilitate the $150 billion investment in the U.S. shipbuilding sector that Seoul has committed to as part of last year's bilateral trade and investment deal.

"The center is not an outcome.

It is the most important work that produces the outcome of how many ships that are built," he said.

"Talking is not a thing.

It sets the stage, but the reality is (that) it is vital for America to produce ships in America.

Not talk about producing ships in America, not having meetings about ships in America, but actually building ships in America," he added.

He highlighted that U.S.

President Donald Trump's administration will "judge" the center by actual results rather than by "how many ...