KEI Contributor – Sarah Marshall

Korean firms dominate 30% of the global electric vehicle battery market. But with the procurement of key raw material inputs for these batteries threatened by geo-strategic rivalries, the government and manufacturers are pushing to diversify both sourcing and processing of minerals like cobalt, nickel, and lithium. In February, the Australian government signed a “Memorandum of…

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol vowed to reverse President Moon’s nuclear reactor phase-out policy, claiming that it has led to increased reliance on fossil fuels and that nuclear power provides a better path to net-zero emissions. The Korean public has generally expressed support for nuclear energy. Close to 60% of respondents in a 2017 poll supported resuming…

Samsung partnered with the Korean government to launch the Eco Delta Smart Village, a futuristic community that aims to achieve sustainability through data integration. Residents’ rent will be waived in exchange for personal data collected over a 3-to-5-year period. The USD 1.8 billion project hopes to be a template for smart cities around the world…

The Ministry of Environment reported that South Korea’s plastic use went up 19% in 2020. In response, the government has called for the resumption of a ban on disposable items for dine-in customers in coffee shops in April. While citizens generally agree with the government’s broader aims to reduce waste, many also empathize with small…