The U.S. Department of Energy has designated ally South Korea a "sensitive" country, a spokesperson said on Friday, after the South Korean president briefly imposed martial law and amid talk of Seoul potentially developing nuclear weapons.

Instead of relying on declarations from Washington, the current allies of the USA may begin seeking security guarantees through their own nuclear weapons. On the shortlist of countries capable of pursuing such security measures,

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has designated South Korea as a sensitive country, a move linked to concerns over nuclear proliferation and recent political turmoil in Seoul. The classification, made in January