us-sanctions
20 March 2025
Acting South Korean president seeks diplomatic remedy after US designation
South Korea’s Acting President Choi Sang-mok has instructed government officials to engage with the United States to mitigate potential negative impacts on energy and tech cooperation, following Washington’s designation of South Korea as a ‘sensitive’ country, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap on 17 March.
‘During a meeting with ministers on economic affairs, Choi directed relevant government agencies to “actively explain” the situation to Washington to ensure that South Korea-U.S. cooperation in science, technology and energy remains unaffected,’ Yonhap reported.
The US Department of Energy made the designation in January under the Biden administration after President Yoon Suk Yeol ‘briefly imposed martial law in December amid discussions about the possibility of Seoul developing nuclear weapons,’ the report explained.
The DOE has confirmed that the Biden administration added South Korea to the lowest category of its sensitive country list, without giving specific reasons for the designation.
