Vice Foreign Minister: “It May Take Some Time Physically”
Effective Negotiations Possible After New Government Takes Office,
U.S. Department of Energy building. UPI Yonhap News,
, ‘The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) included Korea in the “Sensitive Countries List (SCL)” as of last January, and this measure officially takes effect on the 15th. The government has engaged in high-level and working-level discussions with the U.S. to remove the classification, but ultimately could not have Korea taken off the list. Effective discussions between the two countries are seen as difficult until a new government is established after the June 3rd early elections.’,
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, ‘On the 14th, Hong-kyun Kim, the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated during a government query session in the National Assembly focused on politics, foreign affairs, unification, and security that “There was an agreement on March 20th between Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Deok-geun and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright to quickly proceed with discussions, and working-level talks are ongoing.” However, he noted, “The designation as a sensitive country is in accordance with the Department of Energy’s internal procedures, so it may take some time physically to have it lifted.” As such, the sensitive country measure will take effect as scheduled on the 15th.’,
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, ‘Korea and the U.S. have indicated that there would be no restrictions on scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries due to this measure. Previously, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong stated in a National Assembly appearance on the 24th of last month, “Even if listed as a sensitive country, there would be no restrictions on joint research or cooperation between Korea and the U.S. according to the Department of Energy,” adding that “Consistent messages confirming that Korea-U.S. cooperation and partnership remain strong were received from the Department of Energy, the State Department, and the White House National Security Council (NSC).” Joseph Yun, acting U.S. ambassador to Korea, also noted on the 18th of last month, “(The sensitive country designation) is not a big deal.”’,
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, ‘However, procedural constraints resulting from the sensitive country designation are seen as inevitable. For instance, a researcher from Korea visiting a U.S. lab must submit relevant documents at least 45 days in advance and receive separate approval. Additional security measures would also be required for U.S. Department of Energy personnel or affiliated researchers visiting Korea. Concerns are emerging among the scientific community that if the sensitive country designation persists long-term, it could disrupt collaboration in advanced fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, or future technology development like small modular reactors (SMRs).’,
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, ‘The National Assembly Research Service recently pointed out in a report that “If the response to the sensitive country designation is insufficient, negative impacts may surface in Korea-U.S. scientific and technological cooperation, not immediately visible,” noting that the deterioration of national credibility or psychological insecurity about cooperation among researchers could lead to a decrease in collaboration.’,
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, ‘The procedures for designation or removal from the sensitive country list are not disclosed, making future scheduling hard to predict. In particular, the reason behind the U.S. designating Korea as a sensitive country remains unclear, raising the possibility that the designation may not be lifted in a short period. The U.S. pointed out that Korea’s management of handling sensitive information in the science and technology field was inadequate, but did not specify what particular issues were involved.’,
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, ‘Korea was already included in the list when the U.S. implemented the sensitive country system in 1981. The Korean government requested the removal of the designation in December 1993, but the actual removal did not happen until July of the following year.\n’