Acting President Choi Sang-mok speaks during a meeting with ministers at the government complex in Seoul, March 17. Yonhap

Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday instructed the government to engage with the United States to prevent any adverse impact on energy cooperation following Washington's designation of Korea as a "sensitive" country.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under the previous Joe Biden administration made the designation in January after President Yoon Suk Yeol briefly imposed martial law in December amid discussions about the possibility of Seoul developing nuclear weapons.

During a meeting with ministers on economic affairs, Choi directed relevant government agencies to "actively explain" the situation to Washington to ensure that Korea-U.S. cooperation in science, technology and energy remains unaffected.

In particular, Choi ordered the industry minister to meet with his U.S. counterpart this week for active consultations.

The DOE confirmed that the Biden administration had added Korea to the lowest category of its sensitive country list, raising concerns about Seoul's diplomatic standing at a time of political uncertainty following Yoon's impeachment.

Reasons for Korea's inclusion in the U.S. list have yet to be identified. (Yonhap)