Issue Opportunities and risks for Korean shipbuilding amid US-China maritime rivalry

Summary

As US-China friction spreads across shipbuilding, maritime transport and logistics supply chains, Korea's shipbuilding industry, which is deepening cooperation with the US, faces both opportunity and risk. On one side, the MASGA project that Korea proposed is under discussion as a vehicle for US-Korea shipbuilding cooperation. On the other, China has placed US-based subsidiaries of a Korean group on its countersanctions list as part of its response to Washington. The report stresses that Korea must prepare for the ripple effects of this dispute, which it treats as a major axis of economic security. It calls for trade cooperation with China to contain sources of Korea-China friction that could arise as shipbuilding cooperation with the US deepens.