As interest grows surrounding the U.S. Department of Energy’s designation of South Korea as a “sensitive” country, it has been confirmed that an employee contracted with the Department of Energy was fired after being caught attempting to leak reactor design documents to South Korea.
According to a semi-annual report submitted to the U.S. Congress by the Department of Energy’s Office of the Inspector General on Monday, an incident occurred where a contractor employee from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) was caught trying to board a flight to South Korea while in possession of information subject to export controls, resulting in their termination.
While the exact timing of the incident has not been disclosed, it likely occurred between October 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, the period covered by the report.
The DOE explained that the information the employee attempted to take to South Korea was patented reactor design software owned by INL.
An investigation into the employee’s emails and messaging records revealed that the individual was aware that the information was subject to export controls and had been communicating with a foreign government.
The department also stated that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security were conducting investigations when the report was submitted.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has previously stated that the U.S. Department of Energy’s inclusion of South Korea on the list of sensitive countries is viewed as a security-related issue of research institutes under the Department of Energy rather than a diplomatic matter.
In a press statement distributed on March 14, the U.S. Department of Energy confirmed that it included South Korea in the lowest Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List (SCL) category in early January. The related measures will officially take effect on April 15.