(MENAFN) In a decisive move to boost both economic strength and national security, U.S. President Donald Trump declared on Monday plans to rejuvenate America’s shipbuilding industry. Trump revealed that the United States will restart constructing shipyards and ships domestically, with South Korea poised to play a critical role in this effort.

"We are thinking about contracting some ships. They build them very well in South Korea. They're also thinking about coming to our country with some shipyards to start us on the process of building ships again," Trump told reporters during a White House event with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

Reflecting on past shipbuilding achievements, the president emphasized, "We were building ships all the time for everybody, and presidents and people allowed that to slip by."

Trump pointed to World War II, highlighting that the U.S. was producing "a ship a day," including tankers and various other vessels, underscoring the nation's once robust maritime manufacturing.

He stated that while the U.S. will continue purchasing ships from South Korea, South Korean builders will also manufacture ships on American soil alongside U.S. workers, adding, "and we're going to go back into the shipbuilding business again."

Trump also underscored South Korea’s significance as "a big buyer" of U.S. military hardware, noting ongoing discussions to expand these dealings.

Praising military technology, Trump lauded the B-2 stealth bomber’s role in recent operations: “the B-2 bomber was so, so successful in what took place in the little excursion that we made. 36 hours. And it wiped out the -- nobody's ever seen anything like it,” referencing the strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during Operation Midnight Hammer last June.

Concluding his remarks, Trump expressed strong mutual respect between the two nations: "We love what they do. We love their product. We love their ships. We love a lot of the things that they make, and they love what we have. We're dealing with them on Alaska having to do with the oil they need," referring to ongoing energy discussions with South Korea.

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