Seoul: The United States has placed South Korea in the lowest tier of its "sensitive" country list due to security concerns related to government-affiliated research institutes, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the ministry provided the clarification following discussions with U.S. officials, days after the Department of Energy confirmed South Korea was included in the lowest category of its "sensitive and other designated countries list" in early January under the previous Biden administration.
The U.S. designation was "attributable to the security concerns related to the research institutes affiliated with the Department of Energy, rather than diplomatic policy issues," the foreign ministry said in a press notice.
"Even if South Korea is listed, the U.S. side has confirmed that it will have little impact on bilateral technology cooperation, including joint research between South Korea and the U.S.," the ministry said.