US-South Korea Deal Includes $8.4 Billion for Oil Recovery
🤝 SEOUL — $8.4B for oil recovery, right when Hormuz cut Seoul's supply off. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: South Korea imports nearly 70% of its crude through Hormuz-exposed routes. Embedding oil recovery funding in a bilateral deal with Washington signals Seoul is paying for access to US-aligned supply chains, not just trading goods. For Trump, it's leverage monetized. For Seoul, it's energy security priced into trade. Beijing watches a US ally structurally decouple from Gulf exposure.
