Korea, US agree to work for swift resolution of sensitive country listing issue

Korea and the United States have agreed to cooperate to "swiftly" resolve the issue of Seoul being designated a "sensitive" country by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Seoul's industry ministry said Friday.

The agreement was made during Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun's first meeting with U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Ahn is currently on a visit to Washington, his second trip to the U.S. in less than a month.

According to the DOE last week, Korea was placed in the "lowest" category of the department's "sensitive and other designated countries list" (SCL) in early January, sparking concerns the measure may lead to possible new restrictions on scientific and technological cooperation between Seoul and Washington.

The designation, set to take effect April 15, was made due to technical security issues related to DOE-affiliated research institutions, according to government officials.

In the meeting, Ahn addressed Korea's concerns over the DOE listing and agreed with Wright to work to resolve the issue in accordance with necessary procedures, the ministry explained.

The two sides also discussed expanding bilateral cooperation across the energy sector, including liquefied natural gas, power grids, hydrogen and small modular reactors, and holding policy consultations and joint forums on energy regularly.

"The visit to the U.S. provided an opportunity to confirm both countries' commitment to resolving the sensitive country designation issue and to strengthen the momentum of Korea-U.S. energy cooperation," Ahn said in a press release.

"We also hope to find new opportunities to expand cooperation projects and bilateral investments through close consultations on the Trump administration's energy policy and become joint leaders in the global energy market." (Yonhap)