In recent years, South Korea has been addressing climate change, including through investments in hydrogen, the Green New Deal, and international pledges to cut emissions by 40 percent from 2018 by 2030. Former President Moon Jae-in announced in 2020 that South Korea would commit to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. His successor, President Yoon Suk Yeol, has pledged to maintain that commitment but envisions a different path to carbon neutrality.

In his article for Korea’s Economy, Dr. Soogil Young looks at the steps Korea will need to take to achieve carbon neutrality and the challenges it will face. Dr. Young is the honorary chairman of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Korea Chapter or ‘SDSN-Korea’ and was previously the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Green Growth during the Lee Myung-bak administration. He currently co-chairs the Advisory Committee of the Green Growth Knowledge Platform and the Advisory Board for the Global Green Growth Forum