"Visits by U.S. Navy officials to our company are not uncommon," an HD Hyundai official told AJP. "They have visited several times before, so this particular visit does not appear to be especially unusual."
The official said the company was discussing various forms of cooperation but could not confirm the specific purpose of the latest visit or whether it was linked to a particular naval shipbuilding program.
The delegation, which visited the shipyard on Nov. 4, included Brendan P. Rogers, assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy for energy, installations and environment; Lt. Gen. Andrew M. Niebel, deputy commandant for installations and logistics of the U.S. Marine Corps; and Maj. Gen. Valerie A. Jackson, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Korea.
According to photos released through the U.S. Defense Department's Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), the officials toured the shipyard and received briefings on the company's operations and technologies.
Joo Won-ho, president of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' naval and medium-sized ship business, reportedly welcomed the delegation.
The Pentagon said the visit was intended to assess naval shipbuilding capabilities, military infrastructure and logistics support across South Korea.
The delegation also examined opportunities to strengthen maritime sustainment, improve operational readiness and reinforce the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
The visit comes as Seoul and Washington seek to expand bilateral shipbuilding cooperation under the Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA) initiative, aimed at revitalizing the U.S. shipbuilding industry.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has already secured two maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) contracts for U.S. Navy logistics vessels, including the USNS Alan Shepard and USNS Cesar Chavez.
In October, HD Hyundai also announced an agreement with U.S. engineering and construction company Kiewit to establish a joint venture to develop a new shipyard in the United States.
The project is expected to begin construction in 2027, with full-scale operations targeted for 2029.
Despite growing bilateral cooperation, neither the U.S. military nor HD Hyundai has announced a new contract or agreement resulting from the latest shipyard visit.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
