U.S. designation of S. Korea as 'sensitive country' goes into effect, despite Seoul's efforts to resolve issue

Working-level negotiations between government officials here and their American counterparts are underway to remove South Korea from the U.S. Energy Department's list of "sensitive" countries that went into effect today.

Our foreign affairs correspondent Bae Eun-ji has details.

The U.S. Energy Department's designation of South Korea as a "sensitive country" has taken effect, as of Tuesday midnight local time.

The DOE reportedly put its Asian ally on the lowest tier of the "Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List" in January, shortly before then-President Joe Biden left office for it to take effect on April 15th.

Korean researchers visiting laboratories in the U.S. will now be required to get approval by submitting relevant documents at least 45 days in advance.

This led to fears that it could possibly hinder collaboration between Seoul and Washington in areas such as nuclear energy and artificial intelligence.

In response, South Korea's Foreign Ministry reassured the public on Tuesday, saying that the government is actively in talks with the DOE to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

But it added that it needs more time for South Korea to be removed from the list, as this matter is proceeding in accordance with the U.S. internal procedures.

The ministry also clarified that Washington has said the designation will not significantly impact joint research projects.

"During a recent working-level consultation between the two countries, the US Department of Energy reaffirmed that the designation of South Korea as a sensitive country will not affect on-going or future research and development cooperation between Seoul and Washington."

The comments come after South Korea's Trade Minister Ahn Deok-geun met with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright in Washington last month, where the two sides agreed to continue cooperation to swiftly resolve this issue.

The Foreign Ministry also noted that South Korea has been on the list in the past and was removed through similar diplomatic efforts.

According to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 1996, South Korea was previously on the DOE's sensitive country list from January 1993 to June 1996.

But the report added that South Korea was a country no longer considered sensitive as of July 28th, 1994.

The Foreign Ministry has repeatedly explained that it was told South Korea's inclusion is due to security-related issues rather than foreign policy concerns.

But some experts in Seoul have suggested that it has to do with growing discussions on the need for South Korea to acquire its own nuclear weapons capability.

Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News.