Despite South Korea’s insistence that the US-South Korea alliance remains strong, the US government has quietly placed South Korea on the Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List (SDCL). The decision was made by the Joe Biden administration in early January, before President Donald Trump took office. So let’s use common sense to understand why the United States, known as the blood brotherhood, had to designate South Korea as a sensitive country.
Why has the US designated South Korea as a sensitive country?
According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), “The Department of Energy maintains an extensive ‘Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List’ (SCL), and the previous administration added South Korea to the lowest category within the SCL, ‘Other Designated Country’, in early January 2025. In other words, South Korea was already on the US SCL in early January 2025.
Biden gave South Korea a big gift when he left office. So it’s important to know what that gift means.
What are sensitive countries?
In the United States, the term “sensitive countries” refers to countries that the U.S. government considers a threat to national security. Therefore, South Korea’s inclusion on this list means that South Korea is considered a national security threat to the United States.
The U.S. designates countries for reasons including national security, nuclear non-proliferation, regional instability, threats to economic security, and support for terrorism.
US list of sensitive countries As of 2025, there are 25 countries on the US list of sensitive countries (SCL), and although the details are classified and the full list is not available, here are the main ones that are known. As you can see, many of these countries have nuclear weapons.
North Korea China Russia Iran Iraq Pakistan Belarus Moldova Notably, five other countries – Iran, Cuba, Libya, Sudan and Syria – are listed as “terrorist states”.
South Korea has been added to the SCL’s lowest category, ‘Other Designated Country’ South Korea has been added to the SCL’s lowest category, ‘Other Designated Country’. This action will take effect on 15 April 2025.
The implications of a nation’s classification as a “sensitive country” are of particular concern.
The designation of a nation as a sensitive country imposes specific limitations on the dissemination of U.S. nuclear technology, national security-related information, and advanced technology. Despite South Korea’s classification in the lowest category, there remains a possibility of restrictions on visits and cooperation between South Korea and the United States.
The classification of South Korea as an “Other Designated Nationals,” which is the lowest category of sensitive countries, is set to take effect on April 15, 2025, and will be subject to restrictions. This could impede collaboration and exchanges between the U.S. and South Korea in the domains of advanced science and technology, including nuclear energy, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum science, and advanced computing.
The primary reasons for the U.S. designation of South Korea as a sensitive country
Primarily, concerns regarding nuclear proliferation have been a salient factor in this decision. This is primarily attributable to the escalating nuclearization of South Korea. The United States has expressed concerns regarding the escalating trend of nuclear armament in South Korea and has issued warnings regarding this development.
Secondly, concerns regarding South Korea’s nuclear potential have been expressed. The U.S. has expressed particular concerns regarding South Korea’s nuclear power plant technology, particularly its heavy water reactor technology, which facilitates direct plutonium extraction. From the U.S. perspective, nuclear weapons are considered highly enriched weapons that are typically associated with great powers, and the U.S. does not wish to facilitate South Korea’s access to them.
Thirdly, there is a backlash against the continuation of nuclear armament in South Korea despite the strengthening of extended deterrence. Despite the establishment of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) between the United States and South Korea, which is an effort to strengthen extended deterrence, there is a continued discourse on nuclear armament in South Korea.
Fourthly, there are concerns regarding U.S. national security interests.
South Korea’s Response to U.S. Designation of Sensitive Country
In light of these developments, a pertinent question arises: what course of action should South Korea pursue?
The necessity of nuclear armament has been a subject of much debate. The designation of Korea as a sensitive country by the U.S. is indicative of its profound concern regarding the possession of nuclear weapons by Korea. Consequently, in order to mitigate the concerns of the United States and other nations, it is imperative for South Korea to pursue the development of nuclear armaments. The recent events in Ukraine between Russia exhibited the imperative for South Korea to acquire nuclear armaments.
The inclusion of South Korea on the list of sensitive countries has led to concerns that South Korea’s high-tech cooperation with the United States could be restricted. Historically, South Korea has been a staunch ally of the U.S., with whom it has engaged in substantial high-tech and economic cooperation. However, with its recent designation as a sensitive country, South Korea is compelled to voluntarily arm itself in accordance with the U.S.’s preferences.
In order to ensure its national security and establish an era of mutually assured nuclear peace with the United States, South Korea must pursue a policy of self-reliance in its nuclear capabilities.
The United States wants each country to have its own defense and maintain its own national existence in the future. Even if it is an alliance, the United States does not protect other countries while continuing to bear defense costs in the future. Therefore, Korea must now climb a nuclear ladder to reach the top of self-defense. It is difficult to maintain strong self-defense unless it crosses the nuclear ladder.
The U.S. designation of South Korea as a sensitive country is interpreted as a sign that it should develop nuclear weapons on its own. Therefore, without the help of the U.S., South Korea should be equipped with its own nuclear armament to ensure peace of fear through complete nuclear weapons between the two Koreas on the Korean Peninsula.
This article was written by nBox.com .