Industry ministry's parliamentary briefing on US investment project delayed: sources

The industry ministry's planned briefing to the National Assembly this week on Korea's investment project in the United States has been delayed for undisclosed reasons, sources said Wednesday. According to the sources, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources originally planned to hold a closed-door parliamentary briefing Thursday on Korea's first investment project in the U.S. under a bilateral agreement reached last year. In October, Korea and the U.S. reached an agreement on Seoul's $350 billion investment pledge made in return for lower U.S. tariffs. The investment will comprise $150 billion for shipbuilding cooperation and $200 billion for projects in various strategic sectors. The industry ministry, however, asked the parliament's trade and finance committees to postpone the scheduled briefing without providing details on the reasons. Observers said the delay apparently came as Seoul and Washington failed to reach an agreement during the final stages of negotiations. "Negotiations with the U.S. are currently under way," an official from the industry ministry said. The delay is e