DOE Contractor Employee Terminated Over Export-Control Violation Attempt

Washington: A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) contractor employee was terminated after attempting to board a flight to South Korea with export-controlled information on nuclear reactor design software, a report showed Monday.According to Yonhap News Agency, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), one of the DOE's national laboratories, terminated the individual during the reporting period from October 1, 2023, through March 31 last year. This action comes amidst ongoing questions about South Korea's recent inclusion on the DOE's "Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List (SCL)" as of early January.The proprietary nuclear reactor design software in question is owned by INL. The DOE's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted a thorough investigation, which included a search of the employee's government email and chat history. Evidence from this search indicated the employee's awareness of export control restrictions and communications with a foreign government."This is an ongoing joint investigat ion with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations," the report stated, highlighting the severity of the matter.Earlier, Seoul's foreign ministry clarified that South Korea's placement on the SCL was due to a security issue connected to a DOE-affiliated research institution, rather than being a foreign policy concern.