Regarding the effective date of the designation of the U.S. as a sensitive country, which was scheduled for the 15th, Vice Minister Kim Hong-kyun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted on the 14th that, "Since it follows the internal procedures of the (U.S.) Department of Energy, it seems physically possible that it may take time."
During a government questioning session at the National Assembly that day, when Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-joo asked, "Will it take effect as scheduled from the 15th?" Vice Minister Kim replied, "Because it is an internal regulation of the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. may not even clarify whether it will take effect tomorrow."
He also stated, "There was an agreement on March 20th for the (Korean) Minister of Industry and the (U.S.) Secretary of Energy to quickly discuss this issue moving forward," adding that "practical discussions have been ongoing since then."
Vice Minister Kim also remarked on the reciprocal tariffs imposed by the U.S., saying, "Overall, tariffs will have an impact on our corporations," and added, "We aim to negotiate actively with the U.S. toward eliminating or lowering tariffs during the 90-day grace period."
He also spoke regarding the U.S. request for renegotiation of defense costs for U.S. forces stationed in Korea, stating, "As of now, the U.S. has not officially proposed renegotiation of the defense cost-sharing agreement," and he mentioned, "We are preparing various contingency plans against possible scenarios."