The U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine USS Kentucky (SSBN-737) approaches a Korean naval base in Busan, July 18, 2023. Courtesy of U.S. Navy
Korea's major shipbuilders are turning their attention to the U.S. naval market as Washington shows growing interest in their naval shipbuilding capabilities, raising expectations that Seoul's Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA) initiative could gain momentum.
The shift comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized rebuilding America's shipbuilding industry while seeking trusted allies capable of supplementing domestic capacity, with Washington taking steps to assess Korean shipbuilders' capabilities.
The Pentagon and the U.S. Navy recently sent requests for information (RFIs) to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean on their ability to design and build destroyers, while a separate request covering medium-sized fleet replenishment ships also included Samsung Heavy Industries, according to industry sources.
It marks the first such request since last year's bilateral agreement to allocate $150 billion for shipbuilding cooperation under the MASGA proposal as part of Korea's broader $350 billion investment package in the U.S.
