South Korea's 'sensitive country' designation to take effect Tuesday as clarity deficit hinders diplomatic efforts

South Korea’s designation as a “sensitive country” by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will officially take effect on Tuesday, despite repeated efforts by Seoul to have the designation lifted.

2025-04-14

Seoul, Washington agree to 'swiftly' resolve 'sensitive' designation

Korea's industry minister and the U.S. secretary of energy met and agreed to "swiftly" resolve Seoul's designation of "sensitive country" by the department.

2025-03-21

Multiple breaches at U.S. Department of Energy research labs linked to Korea: Report

Multiple security breaches linked to Korea were found at U.S. Department of Energy laboratories, a report said Wednesday, after Washington confirmed that the DOE's decision to designate Korea as a “sensitive country” stems from security concerns.

2025-03-19

U.S. envoy says 'sensitive country' tag 'no big deal.' Seoul isn't reassured.

Acting U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Joseph Yun downplayed Korea's addition to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) “sensitive country” list as “not a big deal,” attributing it to security incidents involving the mishandling of sensitive information.

2025-03-18

South Korea confirms U.S. 'sensitive' listing not due to foreign policy issues

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry clarified Monday that the United States added South Korea to its "sensitive" country list due to "security concerns" related to research labs under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

2025-03-17

Acting president orders push to remove Korea from U.S. 'sensitive country' list as partisan blame game continues

Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday ordered a full-scale diplomatic effort to remove South Korea from the U.S. "sensitive country" list before the designation officially takes effect on April 15.