The proposed deepwater oil and gas field development off the coast of Yeongil Bay in Pohang, South Korea, has come under close scrutiny due to debates about the reliability of the discovery and the credibility of Act-Geo, the US consulting firm behind the survey. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy has been actively addressing these concerns, including allegations of a fraudulent Korean-language website for Act-Geo. Doubts about Act-Geo's survey results arose after reports that Woodside Energy, Australia's largest oil exploration company, had conducted a similar survey in the area and concluded it was not prospective. However, the Korean Trade Ministry clarified that Woodside's withdrawal from the area was due to strategic reorganization following a merger, rather than a lack of viability of the location. Further concerns about Act-Geo's credibility emerged after reports that the company owner, Vitor Abreu, had faced operational restrictions due to tax issues. The Ministry explained that the tax delinquency was considered a minor issue and did not nullify the corporation's legal status, and confirmed that KNOC began payments to Act-Geo only after the tax issues had been resolved.