Korea has transferred $2.4 billion to Washington as part of its funding for a Texas energy project agreed upon by the two countries under Seoul's investment initiative, the finance minister confirmed Tuesday. Responding to a lawmaker's question about whether the transfer had been made during a parliamentary audit, Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il replied "yes," acknowledging around 10 percent of the project's estimated budget was sent to the United States on Thursday. The gas-fired combined-cycle power plant project in Texas, dubbed "Project Star," calls for the construction of a 6,472-megawatt power plant for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers at a cost of $22.3 billion. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources recently announced three projects under Korea's investment pledge to the U.S., unveiled last year in return for lower tariffs. The pledge comprises $150 billion for shipbuilding cooperation and $200 billion for projects in various strategic sectors. Lee said the Texas project met the requirement for commercial viability, responding to Rep. Lim Lee-ja of the main opposit