The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that after a security violation incident was revealed, the USA included South Korea in the so-called list of sensitive countries for energy cooperation in January. The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that this action stems from the USA's concerns regarding the security of a research laboratory and should not be viewed as a diplomatic policy statement. "According to what we understand from the USA, the Department of Energy has listed South Korea as the lowest level of sensitive countries due to security-related issues at one of its subordinate research institutions, not because of diplomatic policy," the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. The statement did not elaborate on the specific security issue.