[Exclusive] US classifies South Korea as ‘sensitive country,’ limiting cooperation on advanced tech

The US Department of Energy. (Hankyoreh file photo)

The US Department of Energy (DOE), which supervises US energy policy and duties relating to nuclear power research and development and military nuclear weapon programs, has classified South Korea as a “sensitive country” and established regulatory measures in line with this, the Hankyoreh confirmed in an investigation on Sunday.

Classification as a sensitive country means that exchange and cooperation in connection with US advanced technology areas such as nuclear power and artificial intelligence (AI) are heavily restricted. This is the first time in history that South Korea has received this classification by the US government.

Analysts read the decision as the US government sending a stern warning to counter the calls for independent nuclear armament that have recently been surfacing in South Korea.

According to South Korean and US sources, the DOE’s classification of South Korea as a sensitive country goes into effect on April 15, with the department currently undertaking administrative preparations such as a prior announcement to its affiliated state-run think tanks.

The DOE bases its sensitive state classifications on factors such as national security, nuclear nonproliferation, regional instability, threats to economic security, and support for terrorism. Interactions with such states’ research institutions and scholars are subject to severe restrictions.

As a US ally, South Korea has historically remained a “nonsensitive country.” An announcement stating that it would be placed on the sensitive country list for the first time was reportedly delivered to DOE-affiliated institutions earlier this month.

The announcement explained that South Korea and three other countries would be added as of April 15 to the sensitive country list, which currently includes India, Israel, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. Within the list, North Korea and Iran are separately designated as state sponsors of terrorism, while China and Russia are designated as risks.

A researcher affiliated with one US state-run think tank explained that they had received an announcement in early March calling for preparations for the administrative processing that will need to be carried out once the list takes effect on April 15.

The researcher also said the US government did not share the reasons for the measure, adding that other researchers at the same institutions were shocked and perplexed to see South Korea included on the sensitive country list.

According to the DOE website, sensitive country designations may be issued for reasons including “national security, nuclear nonproliferation, regional instability, threat to national economic security, or terrorism support.”

The list is maintained by the DOE-affiliated Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (OICI) together with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

Experts suggested the most likely reason for South Korea’s sudden placement on the sensitive country list has to do with growing calls for independent nuclear armament, which have been proliferating among South Korean politicians and conservatives.

Lawmakers and politicians who advocate for South Korea to pursue its own nuclear arms pose for a photo after a debate held at the National Assembly on Feb. 12, 2025. (courtesy of the office of Rep. Yu Yong-weon)

“The US Department of Energy for responsible to managing everything from the nuclear power industry to the nuclear materials that go into nuclear weapons, and the most important standard for ‘sensitive country’ classification is nuclear nonproliferation,” noted Lee Choon-geun, an expert in the field of nuclear energy currently a invited research fellow at the Korea Institute of Science & Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP).

“The key reason for this measure is most likely the calls for nuclear armament that have been spreading in South Korea,” Lee suggested.

He also commented, “As the calls for nuclear armament continue to increase in South Korea, the US has been even more alarmed because four of the reactors at the Wolsong nuclear power plant [one reactor is currently being decommissioned] are heavy-water reactors with plutonium that could immediately be extracted.”

“The US knows all of South Korea’s weaknesses, and we can expect even stiffer sanctions if South Korea actually makes a move toward nuclear armament or nuclear latency,” he predicted.

As North Korea continues to strengthen its nuclear and missile capabilities and the Donald Trump administration’s disregard for US allies becomes more apparent, South Korean politicians have begun to advocate for South Korea’s right to own nuclear weapons. 

Politicians of the People Power Party, such as lawmakers Na Kyung-won, Yoon Sang-hyun, Yu Yong-weon and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, are strong champions of South Korea becoming a nuclear power. Some within the opposition Democratic Party of Korea are also discussing the need to obtain nuclear latency — the potential to develop nuclear weapons when necessary, though not beforehand.

In this climate, the US DOE’s decision to classify South Korea as a sensitive country has sparked criticism that irresponsible calls for nuclear armament from politicians have endangered South Korea instead of strengthening its security. 

The DOE’s regulations stipulate that a country’s classification as a sensitive country severely restricts its cooperation with the US not only in the nuclear energy field but also in advanced science and technology, such as AI, quantum science and advanced computing. Researchers from sensitive countries are subject to rigorous background checks and approval processes to work or even participate in related research at US Department of Energy facilities or research centers. US national laboratories and universities may prohibit such researchers from participating in research related to nuclear technology, AI, quantum science and other fields.

“The categorization of South Korea as a sensitive country by the US will hinder any and all cooperation with the US on advanced technology,” commented Chang Yong-seok, a visiting researcher at the Seoul National University Institute for Peace and Unification Studies who formerly oversaw technology and cybersecurity within the Blue House National Security Office. 

“We have entered a period where acquiring new scientific technologies related to fields such as AI and quantum computers is of the utmost importance. If cooperation with the US on the science and technology front is hindered, South Korea will be in dire straits,” he said.

“The sensitive countries list is managed by the Department of Energy and other intelligence organizations, so it will be difficult for South Korea to respond to such developments,” Chang added.

The South Korean government had been completely unaware of such developments within the US. Only after the Hankyoreh began investigating this issue did the Foreign Ministry state that it was “confirming related information with relevant departments.” The National Security Office has not responded to questions asking about its knowledge of the situation.

By Park Min-hee, senior staff writer; Jang Na-rye, staff reporter

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