South Korea's first investment project in the United States, which the government had planned to announce later this month, faces uncertainty after the United States suddenly asked South Korea to invest in memory chip production facilities. According to Sina Finance, unnamed ruling party figures said the request was the central topic at a closed-door trade meeting at the South Korean presidential office on August 13.

South Korea had initially prioritized the energy sector as the first major U.S. investment project. An unnamed official said the United States is adjusting its priorities and has made additional demands. Participants generally believed that investing in a memory chip project in the United States would be difficult, given that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have already committed to large-scale investment in South Korea's Honam region.