South Korea's trade ministry has dismissed claims that it struck a separate deal on coal with the United States. The statement follows comments by President Donald Trump. Officials clarified that existing trade agreements aid coal exports but no specific pact exists.
South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources dismissed suggestions on Thursday, February 12, 2026, that Seoul had reached a separate trade deal on coal with the United States. The clarification came in response to remarks by President Donald Trump during the Champion of Coal event at the White House on Wednesday local time. Trump stated, "In just the past few months, we've made historic trade deals with Japan, Korea, India and others to increase our coal exports dramatically," adding, "We are now exporting coal to all over the world."
A ministry official told The Korea Times, “There was no special agreement specifically about coal. It just seems that (he meant) the existing trade agreements the U.S. has with countries like Korea, India and Japan up to now are simply helpful for coal exports as well.” The official further noted, “There hasn’t been any separate or specific agreement made regarding coal (between Korea and the U.S.).”
The Trump administration is working to reverse major environmental and climate regulations from former President Joe Biden's era, including rules on power sector emissions and federal clean-energy purchasing. In a trade deal reached last July between Seoul and Washington, Trump mentioned that Korea agreed to buy $100 billion worth of U.S. liquefied natural gas or other energy products, marking the first time he linked U.S. coal exports to the agreement with Korea. However, the joint fact sheet released by the two countries in November made no reference to coal exports.
Headquartered at the Government Complex Sejong, the ministry emphasized the scope of existing agreements in rebutting the claims.
