US confirms addition of South Korea to ”sensitive countries”... South Korean government: ”Serious issue, active negotiations”

In January of this year, the U.S. government added South Korea to the "Sensitive and Other Designated Countries" list.
Following official confirmation that the South Korean government had added the country to the "SCL," the South Korean government responded that it was continuing close discussions with relevant U.S. government agencies.
On the 15th, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (equivalent to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) said, "The South Korean government is closely monitoring this case and is working closely with relevant U.S. government agencies.
"We are currently in discussions on this issue," he said, emphasizing that "we will actively negotiate to ensure that there is no negative impact on U.S.-ROK cooperation in energy and science and technology."
The US Department of Energy (DOE) said the previous day that "the previous administration (Biden administration) has decided to export South Korea to the SC in early January 2025.
"We have added them to the 'Other Designated Country' category, which is the lowest category of L," the ministry said.
The Department of Energy did not explain why South Korea was added to the list at such short notice. It went on to say that "there are currently no new restrictions on science and technology cooperation with South Korea" and that "their inclusion on the list does not necessarily imply any new restrictions."
This does not necessarily mean that the designated countries have adversarial relations with the United States. Many of the designated countries are countries with which we regularly cooperate on a variety of issues, including energy, science, technology, counterterrorism, and nuclear nonproliferation.
The list was revealed to include friendly nations of the United States, such as Israel, India, and Taiwan. Sensitive nations are designated for policy reasons, including national security, nuclear non-proliferation, and regional instability.
These countries are classified as countries that require special consideration in the Energy Policy and Security Policy. The list of countries is managed by the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (OICI), an agency under the Department of Energy.
To work or participate in research at the ministry's related facilities, one must go through a more stringent certification process. Of course, this list of sensitive countries does not include "dangerous countries (China, Russia)" or "supporters of terrorism."
The list is divided into "countries (North Korea, Syria, Iran)" and "other designated countries," but since South Korea is in the lowest category, the restrictions are not expected to be severe.
However, some have pointed out that the inclusion of the list alone limits the extent to which researchers from the U.S. and South Korea can cooperate closely.
The nuclear field, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, which are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence, are currently considered major areas of cooperation between the US and South Korea.
In January 2023, President Yoon Seok-yeol said, "The Republic of Korea can deploy tactical nuclear weapons and possess its own nuclear weapons."
This statement raised public opinion in favor of nuclear armament at the time, and the United States also expressed interest in the issue. It was revealed that the measure to designate the country as a private country would take effect on the 15th of next month.
The South Korean government is currently in the position of continuing to communicate with the US, but given that it has already been two months since the country was included on the list, criticism of the delayed response is inevitable.
Prior to this, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yeol attended the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on the 11th and said, "The classification of 'sensitive countries' has not yet been finalized.
The company stated that it had learned of the Department of Energy's considerations through "unofficial channels" and was currently understanding the circumstances.