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US designates South Korea as a "sensitive" country amid concerns over nuclear weapons

US designates South Korea as a "sensitive" country amid concerns over nuclear weapons

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Energy said that South Korea was a "sensitive country" after its president briefly declared martial law, and amid reports of Seoul possibly developing nuclear weapons.

In a written answer to questions, the DOE confirmed that the administration of former-President Joe Biden placed South Korea in the bottom tier of the Sensitive & Other Designated Countries List shortly before Biden's departure.

The department didn't explain why the Asian country was added to this list, nor did it indicate that Donald Trump would be inclined to reverse this measure. Seoul's spokesperson stated that there are no new restrictions to bilateral science and technology cooperation.

Media reports have stated that the designation will come into effect April 15.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said that the government took the issue seriously and was in constant communication with Washington.

The ministry issued a statement saying that it would "actively negotiate" to make sure there was no negative impact on the energy, science, and technology cooperation between South Korea & the United States.

According to a document published on the DOE website in 2017, the DOE's list of sensitive nations includes China, Taiwan and Israel. Iran, North Korea and Russia are also included. Tehran and Pyongyang were designated as terrorists.

Then-Defence Minister Kim Yonghyun and President Yoon Suk Yeol were among the officials who suggested that Seoul might be forced to pursue nuclear weapons due to fears about Pyongyang’s weapons program as well as concerns over the U.S.-led alliance.

Yoon and Kim were indicted for insurrection in relation to Yoon's declaration of martial laws in December, which lasted six hours. Yoon's presidential powers were suspended and he was impeached while a court decided whether or not to remove him.

Yoon has backed down from his rhetoric on a nuclear weapons programme after negotiating an agreement with Biden in 2023, under which Washington will give Seoul greater insight into U.S. plans to deter and react to a nuke incident in the area. Seoul, in return, renewed its pledge to not pursue its own nuclear bomb and stated that it would adhere to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which it had signed.

This has not, however, been enough to remove doubts about U.S. commitments in defense, which have fuelled calls for a South Korean nuke arsenal.

Last month, Foreign Minister Cho Taeyul stated that nuclear weapons are not "off-the-table", but it is premature to discuss such a plan.

Cho said at a hearing in the parliament that "given that international situation are evolving in unpredictable ways, this is an important principle that we need to prepare for all scenarios."

Daryl Kimball is the executive director of nonprofit Arms Control Association. He said that South Korea was a proliferation risk in light of these "provocative statements" and the DOE had been prudent to include the country on their list.

"Listing the ROK as a proliferation-sensitive country should rule out any chance of a South Korean request for U.S. approval to enrich uranium and reprocessing spent fuel... to produce nuclear weapons," Kimball said, citing the country's formal name, the Republic of Korea.

Seoul was concerned about the handling of this designation. Cho said in the parliament that the Biden administration had not formally contacted his ministry and only learned of the designation through an informal tip.

The Energy Department may list countries for national security reasons, nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, or for supporting terrorism. However, inclusion on the list does not indicate a hostile relationship with the United States.

The DOE stated that there were no restrictions in place at this time on the bilateral science and technological cooperation between the ROK and the US. The DOE said that it looks forward to working with the ROK in order to further our mutual interests.

The department stated that, although the designation does allow for scientific and technical cooperation with the countries listed, it is subject to an internal review before the visit. Reporting by Timothy Gardner in Washington and David Brunnstrom and Ju-min Park in Seoul, with editing by William Mallard, Sam Holmes, and Sam Holmes.

(source: Reuters)