The National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee will question government officials about the United States’ decision to add South Korea to a list of “sensitive countries.”

The committee announced on Monday that it will inquire about the matter at a query session next Monday.

Both the ruling and opposition parties plan to ask foreign minister Cho Tae-yul and other ministry officials about the reasons and circumstances behind South Korea’s inclusion on the U.S. Department of Energy’s “sensitive and other designated countries list.”

The committee is also expected to ask why the diplomatic officials belatedly discovered South Korea’s inclusion on the list. 

South Korea was added in January, near the end of former U.S. President Joe Biden’s term. 

Researchers from countries on the list must undergo stricter certification processes to work at or participate in research at energy-related facilities or institutions in the U.S.

As a result of the designation, South Korean researchers may face difficulty participating in research on advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.

In addition, the committee is expected to discuss the upcoming trilateral meeting scheduled for Saturday for the foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan.