Geoje: Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Thursday inspected maintenance work currently under way on the U.S. Navy’s replenishment oiler at Hanwha Ocean Co.’s shipyard in the southeastern city of Geoje. The 31,000-ton USNS Yukon is one of the two U.S. Navy support vessels that Hanwha Ocean, a major South Korean shipbuilder, has been repairing under maintenance, repair and overhaul contracts with the U.S. Navy, marking the first such deals for a South Korean shipyard.

According to Yonhap News Agency, shipbuilding has been cited as a rare major area of cooperation between South Korea and the United States as the Donald Trump administration increasingly pursues protectionist trade policies, including high tariffs, and pressures its trading partners to relocate production bases to the U.S. “By expanding South Korea-U.S. cooperation in the shipbuilding field, the two countries will be able to elevate bilateral security and economic collaboration to a higher level … amid the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape,” Cho said during the visit.

The foreign minister also pledged to strengthen efforts and communication with the U.S. to advance cooperation in the shipbuilding sector in a way that allows South Korean companies to maximize their opportunities. He emphasized the importance of such cooperation advancing within the context of the bilateral alliance.

The ministry added the latest visit was intended to witness firsthand the site of South Korea-U.S. cooperation and hear industry opinions at a time when the importance of bilateral cooperation in the shipbuilding sector has come into focus since the launch of the Trump administration.