S. KOREA ON U.S. "SENSITIVE" COUNTRY LIST

Welcome to Wednesday's edition of Press Perspective.

It's March 19th here in Seoul.

I'm Min Sunhee.

Acting American Ambassador Joseph Yun to Seoul says the designation of South Korea as a sensitive country by the U.S. Energy Department under the Biden administration in January is quote "not a big deal".

For more I have Kelly Kasulis Cho with The Washington Post back here in the studio with us.

Kelly thank you for returning to partake in today's talk.

I also have Professor Kim Jae-chun at Sogang University with the pundit's take on the latest developments.

Professor Kim it's good to have you on.

1) Kelly, let's begin with details about the U.S. Energy Department's decision to designate South Korea as a "sensitive" country, and do tell us which other countries are also on the list.

2) And Professor Kim, what do you believe drove this decision?

3) Kelly, so what are the implications of being on the U.S. list of sensitive countries, and what are the requirements for removal from the list?

4) Professor Kim, , quite a number of pundits believe the designation comes amid growing talk of South Korea possibly arming itself with nuclear weapons. This being said, what are your thoughts on the idea of South Korea developing a nuclear arsenal?

5) Kelly, North Korea, for its part, at the start of this week, rejected calls by the G7 to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Do tell us more about this development.

6) Professor Kim, Trump last week called North Korea a nuclear power yet again. Does this worry you?

7) Kelly, some foreign journalists here believe the reference is simply an art of persuasion to promote U.S.-N. Korea talks and not necessarily a shift in U.S. policy. What are your thoughts?

8) Professor Kim, how does South Korea seek to remain relevant in shaping Washington's policy on North Korea?

9) Meanwhile Kelly, once the dust settles over South Korea's political arena, what should be the administration's broader diplomatic priorities as it seeks to ensure trade stability and regional security?

10) And Professor Kim, what should be some of the administration's domestic priorities?

All right.