S. Korean industry minister likely to visit US later this week

Seoul, March 17 (IANS) South Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun is expected to visit the United States later this week to deal with Washington’s designation of South Korea as a “sensitive” country, government sources here said on Monday.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), South Korea was placed in the “lowest” category of the DOE’s “sensitive and other designated countries list” (SCL) in early January.

This designation was made during the final weeks of former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration and shortly after President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law in December, while the precise reasoning behind the designation remains unclear, reports Yonhap news agency.

Government sources said South Korea is in talks with the DOE to arrange a meeting between Ahn and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright in Washington later this week.

“After reaching a mutual agreement, Ahn could visit the U.S. at the end of this week,” a government official said. “Key agenda items will include energy issues, such as the Alaska gas development project and nuclear power collaboration.”

Ahn is expected to discuss Washington’s rationale for designating South Korea as a “sensitive country” and ask for its removal from the list, sources added.

Earlier in the day, acting President Choi Sang-mok instructed the industry minister to engage with his U.S. counterpart this week for active consultations over the DOE list.

Choi also directed relevant government agencies to “actively explain” the situation to Washington to ensure that South Korea-U.S. cooperation in science, technology and energy remains unaffected.

Ahn’s envisioned U.S. visit comes just three weeks after his trip to Washington in late February, during which he met with key U.S. trade officials, including Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

During the tour in February, however, Ahn failed to meet with Wright due to scheduling issues.

This time, discussions will highly likely centre around the Alaska gas pipeline project, the Donald Trump administration’s key energy initiative.

Seoul has expressed its interest in the potentially multi-trillion-dollar project, part of a move aimed at reducing its trade surplus with the U.S., which is poised to start imposing “reciprocal” tariffs on key U.S. trade partners as a way of reducing its trade deficits.

–IANS

na/