Korea to clarity trade terms with US, pushes for removal from 'sensitive countries' list
South Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun is set to travel to Washington this week to discuss Korea's trade terms with the US and request that the Trump administration remove Seoul from its "sensitive countries" list.
During a high-level economic affairs meeting on Monday, acting President Choi Sang-mok urged government agencies to actively engage with their US counterparts to prevent any negative impact on bilateral cooperation in science, technology and energy following the US Department of Energy’s designation of Korea as a “sensitive country.”
"Ministries should explain the situation to the US side to ensure that Korea-US cooperation in science, technology and energy remains unaffected," Choi said during the meeting.
"The Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy should meet with the US Secretary of Energy this week for in-depth discussions," he added.
The Industry Ministry said it is coordinating with the US Department of Energy to arrange a ministerial-level meeting with US Energy Secretary Chris Wright. If confirmed, Ahn is expected to depart for Washington later this week.
Ahn previously traveled to the US from Feb. 26-28, meeting with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamie Greer to discuss tariffs and trade impacts. However, he was unable to meet with Wright at that time.
His upcoming trip will focus on bilateral energy cooperation, Korea’s potential participation in the Alaska Gas project, and the DOE’s sensitive countries list, according to a ministry official.
The DOE recently confirmed that Seoul had been placed in the lowest category of its "sensitive and other designated countries list" by then-President Joe Biden’s administration before he left office in early January. The DOE did not specify a reason for the designation but noted that Korea faces no new restrictions on bilateral cooperation in science and technology.
According to the DOE's website, countries appear on the Sensitive Countries List for reasons related to national security, nuclear nonproliferation, or terrorism support. Other countries on the list include China, Taiwan, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
The DOE spokesperson clarified that inclusion on the list "does not necessarily indicate an adversarial relationship with the United States," but visits from nationals of these countries would undergo internal review beforehand.
"Many designated countries are those we regularly cooperate with on a variety of energy, science, technology, counterterrorism and nonproliferation issues," the spokesperson added.
During his trip, Ahn may also raise concerns about tariffs, as Washington prepares to implement reciprocal tariffs on trading partners — including Korea — starting April 2, regardless of existing free trade agreements.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in an interview with CBS that the US plans to "impose tariffs on countries proportional to what they impose on us."
"This is global — it’s not against Canada, it’s not against Mexico, it’s not against the EU; it’s everybody. And from that new baseline of fairness and reciprocity, we will engage in potential bilateral negotiations with countries worldwide on new trade arrangements that benefit both sides," Rubio said.
"Right now, it’s not fair. We’re going to reset the baseline, and then we can enter bilateral agreements to ensure fairness in trade."
Under the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, tariffs on most goods have been eliminated, with Korea’s effective tariff rate for US imports standing at approximately 0.79 percent, according to the Industry Ministry. However, US President Donald Trump has claimed — without providing specifics — that Korea imposes tariffs "four times higher" than those of the US.
Ahn is expected to clarify these figures during his discussions in Washington.
By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)
