Ruling Party: "Control Tower Collapsed Starting with Prime Minister Han's Impeachment"
Opposition: "Yoon's Remarks on Nuclear Armament Increased Instability After Impeachment"
It was revealed belatedly that the United States added South Korea to the Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List (SCL) just before the end of the Biden administration, sparking a blame game between the ruling and opposition parties. The People Power Party criticized that the opposition's successive impeachments after the declaration of martial law weakened the government's diplomatic response capabilities. On the other hand, the opposition argued that President Yoon Seok-yeol's nuclear armament theory directly influenced the designation of South Korea as a sensitive country.
Earlier this January, the Biden administration added South Korea to the SCL, which is set to take effect on April 15. The Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List is a list managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that designates countries threatening U.S. security for special management. South Korea was included on the list alongside China, Taiwan, Russia, and others. Nationals of countries on this list may face restrictions on access to advanced technologies such as nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, and artificial intelligence (AI) managed by the DOE, as well as limitations on research cooperation with the U.S. For example, a South Korean researcher must notify and obtain prior approval 45 days in advance when meeting for joint research with national research institutes under the DOE, significantly complicating procedures.
Kim Dae-sik, the chief floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, criticized on the morning of the 17th on YTN radio regarding South Korea's designation as a sensitive country, saying, "The Democratic Party impeached Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and repeatedly impeached government officials, causing not only government officials but all control towers to collapse." He argued that the absence of Prime Minister Han due to the opposition's impeachment motions exacerbated the diplomatic vacuum.
The ruling party demanded that the Democratic Party withdraw all the impeachments it had pursued so far. Chief floor spokesperson Kim said, "If the U.S. designation as a sensitive country takes effect on April 15, it will take considerable time to practically revert to the previous status," adding, "If the Democratic Party can engage in magnanimous politics, they should withdraw all impeachments and promptly come together to carefully deliberate and embark on a diplomatic strategy.
Meanwhile, the opposition claimed that the initial cause of this situation started with President Yoon. Earlier, around the 2023 New Year's work report, President Yoon stated, "We might deploy tactical nuclear weapons in the Republic of Korea or even possess our own nuclear weapons," which they say is the core of this issue. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, said at the highest council meeting that regarding the designation as a sensitive country, "On April 27, 2023, President Yoon reaffirmed South Korea's obligations and commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and compliance with the nuclear peaceful cooperation agreement between South Korea and China during the so-called Washington Declaration with U.S. President Biden."
Lee also claimed, "The U.S. made South Korea repeat that it will strictly adhere to the Korea-U.S. nuclear agreement," adding, "From that point, the U.S. suspected that South Korea might violate the NPT, so they included clauses in the official declaration stating that South Korea will comply with the NPT and the Korea-U.S. nuclear agreement." The Democratic Party believes that in this context, following President Yoon's illegal martial law last year, the U.S. administration's perception spread that it would be dangerous if South Korea were to arm itself with nuclear weapons under conditions where democratic control is impossible.
The Innovation Party also shared this view. Kim Jun-hyung, a member of the Innovation Party, mentioned on CBS radio that "If you look at when this started, remember President Yoon's interview with the Chosun Ilbo in January 2023. That was when the nuclear armament theory was officially introduced." Kim said, "I think the main cause of this designation is almost entirely due to the nuclear armament theory circulating in our country," and added, "We need to properly identify the cause of the designation and confirm to the U.S. that the nuclear armament theory is not true."
The problem arises if suspicions are not dispelled by April 15. Although the U.S. government has stated that cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. will not be restricted due to South Korea's designation as a sensitive country, some worry that South Korea, which requires orders and cooperation with the U.S. in areas such as nuclear power plants, could be excluded. Kim warned, "Since we might be disadvantaged in obtaining related research funds, there is a possibility of being completely excluded."
Regarding this, a Foreign Ministry official said, "Our government is taking this matter seriously and is in close consultation with relevant U.S. government agencies," adding, "We will actively negotiate to ensure that energy and science and technology cooperation between South Korea and the U.S. is not negatively affected."
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