South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok called on Monday to avoid any negative impact on science, technology and energy cooperation with the United States, after the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) designated South Korea as a 'sensitive' country.

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 South Korea as a "sensitive" country.

The US department of energy has not explained why Seoul was added to the list, which could limit bilateral cooperation in science and technology.