Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said the government’s 200 billion U.S. dollar investment in the United States will first be directed at South Korean companies entering or operating in the U.S. market.

Kim made the statement Monday during a meeting with CEOs of midsize enterprises at the Grand Hyatt in Seoul.

The minister appeared to refer to the details of South Korea's pledged investment in the U.S. economy under the trade deal the two sides reached last week.

Kim stressed that the cash investment is not simply money South Korea is giving to the U.S., and that it will be doled out based on “commercial rationality.” 

He said the investments will be made in projects on which both sides agree, to be handled by a joint investment committee.