Korea’s Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan urged the United States to ease tariffs on equipment and materials Korean companies will import for the $5.8 billion Hyundai-Posco Louisiana Steel (HPLS) project. Kim made the request during a meeting with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry before a Sept. 5 groundbreaking ceremony. HPLS, a joint venture between Hyundai Steel, Hyundai Motor, Kia and Posco, will be an electric arc furnace-based integrated steel mill scheduled to begin construction in the fourth quarter and commercial production in 2029. The plant will supply automotive steel to global automakers’ facilities in the southern United States and Mexico, including Hyundai Motor and Kia operations. The project is part of Hyundai Motor Group’s $26 billion U.S. investment plan announced last year and is intended to deepen supply-chain cooperation by combining Korean steelmaking technology with U.S. industrial and energy infrastructure. Foreign steelmakers face U.S. tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and other trade-remedy measures. Posco owns 20% of HPLS, while Hyundai Steel, Hyundai Motor and Kia hold 50%, 15% and 15%, respectively.