Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the U.S. Department of Energy for classifying South Korea as a 'sensitive country,' calling it a 'diplomatic disaster.' He asserted that President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of a state of emergency on Dec. 3 and the nuclear armament theory emerging from the ruling party were major causes of this classification.
During a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on the morning of the 17th, Lee stated, 'It is clear that designating South Korea as a sensitive country by the U.S. will restrict South Korea-U.S. cooperation and collaboration in advanced technology areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and nuclear energy.'
Lee said, 'The idea that we can achieve nuclear armament within a year, along with a state of emergency declared without a word to our allies, has increased distrust in the South Korean state system.' He added, 'Ultimately, this is reflected in the designation as a sensitive country.'
'If we want to pursue nuclear armament, we must break agreements with the U.S. on nuclear energy, withdraw from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and suffer international economic sanctions, living like North Korea,' he said. 'Do you think we can pursue nuclear armament while accepting the consequences of becoming isolated like North Korea?'
He also refuted the ruling party's criticism that the designation as a sensitive country was due to the Democratic Party's 'impeachment drive.' Lee noted, 'The Washington Declaration signed by President Yoon Suk-yeol and former U.S. President Joe Biden includes a reaffirmation of obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which is something that should be naturally stated.' He said, 'This was mentioned because there is a risk that South Korea may violate the NPT treaty.'
Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, remarked, '(The designation as a sensitive country) is predominantly due to Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of a state of emergency and the independent nuclear armament theory.' He added, 'The solution lies in quickly removing Yoon, the coup leader, and focusing all efforts on normalizing the country. This is why the Constitutional Court must expedite his removal.'
The Democratic Party plans to push for a resolution to urge the U.S. to revoke its designation of South Korea as a sensitive country. After the Supreme Council meeting, Spokesperson Han Min-soo told reporters, 'We will promote a National Assembly resolution urging the revocation of the sensitive country designation for our nation.' He noted, 'If the People Power Party opposes this, it will inevitably be categorized as a force that undermines the South Korea-U.S. alliance.'
Earlier, the U.S. Department of Energy reportedly decided in January to classify South Korea as a sensitive country starting on the 15th of next month. The U.S. limits cooperation in advanced technologies such as nuclear energy and AI with countries classified as sensitive. It has been reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs failed to properly grasp the U.S. designation as a sensitive country over the past two months.