In July 2023, 51 Korean nationals filed a constitutional claim against the South Korean Government for failing to provide constitutionally required protection of the fundamental rights from the threat of climate change by establishing an inadequate implementation plan for the 2030 NDC, the 1st Carbon Neutrality Plan (“Plan”). The claimed rights include right to life, right to pursue happiness, right to general freedom, right to property, right to healthy environment, State’s obligation to provide its people from disasters, and State’s obligation to protect the fundamental rights of the people. 

The plaintiffs argue that the Plan fails to meet the required 40% reduction because the Plan is measuring the reduction rate from gross emissions of the reference year 2018 and net emissions of the target year 2030 and only reduces 29.6% of the gross emissions when international credits and CCUS are excluded. The plaintiffs further argue that the reduction pathway presented in the Plan will deplete South Korea’s per-capita-based carbon budget before 2030 for both 1.5 and 1.7 degrees, and that the Plan has allocated undue burden in the later years of the decade. The plaintiffs claim that the Plan fails to meet the constitutional obligation of the state to provide protection of the fundamental rights.  

On February 19, 2024, the Court merged the case with three other constitutional cases challenging the same NDC (Byung-In Kim et al. v. South Korea, Woodpecker et al. v. South Korea). The Court also set a public hearing for the case on April 23, 2024.

On August 29, 2024, in a unanimous decision, the Constitutional Court found that Article 8 Paragraph 1 of the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth violates the right to healthy environment under Article 35 of the Constitution, and ordered the National Assembly to amend the law by February 28, 2026.

The Constitutional Court first acknowledged that the right to healthy environment under Art. 35 of the Constitution addresses the harm and risks related to climate change and that the State has an obligation to protect such rights by mitigating the cause of climate change and reducing the harm by adapting to climate change. The Court then ruled that in order to appropriately address such issue, the State's measures on climate change (i) must be based on South Korea's share of efforts in light of the global efforts based on scientific facts and international standards, (ii) should not impose excessive burden to the future, and (iii) must be based on legal framework that ensures continuous reduction of greenhouse gas.

In light of these standards, the Court ruled that Art. 8 Paragraph 1 of the Act has failed to meet these standards by not prescribing any targets or plans between the period 2031 - 2049, which inevitably results in postponing of reduction efforts. The Court also ruled that the provision violated the "principle of legislative reservation" stating that the the framework of the reduction pathway up to 2050 must be set by law, by the Legislature, considering its implications on various fundamental rights, and the fact that the future generation has limited opportunity to present its interest in the process.
On the 2030 reduction target set by the Enforcement Decree, the Court ruled that it is unable to identify a single standard or criteria to determine the appropriate share of South Korea in the global efforts and therefore cannot conclude that the target is in violation of the State's obligation. However, the Court also stated that it does not mean the State is doing its best on climate mitigation.

On the Carbon Neutrality Plan, the Court was divided. The majority, 5 justices, opined the Carbon Neutrality Plan is unconstitutional because the 40% reduction is based on "gross emission" of the base year 2018, and "net emission" of the target year 2030. Because the base year excludes carbon removal by LULUCF and the target year includes carbon removal by LULUCF, the majority opinion ruled that the actual reduction efforts of the plan does not meet the stated 40% and has violated the mandate of the Enforcement Decree. On the other hand, 4 justices dismissed the claim stating that because the language of the provision of the Act did not distinguish gross emission and net emission, such discrepancy would not amount to unconstitutionality. As the Constitutional Court Act requires super-majority (2/3) for decision of unconstitutionality, the claim on Carbon Neutrality Plan was dismissed.

Min-A Park v. South Korea

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Min-A Park v. South Korea - complaint

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Justice is the ethical and political framework that addresses fairness, including issues of responsibility, rights, and structural inequity.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

A tax advantage is a fiscal incentive where the government reduces or exempts selected activities, goods or actors from taxes.

Tradable permits are market-based tools that grant permission for specific activities, frequently used to regulate emissions. These permits can be issued within a trading system to manage environmental impacts.

Codes and standards are regulatory instruments that specify minimum standards to protect health and safety. This ranges from performance standards, which prescribe outcomes while allowing flexibility to achieve compliance, to the more prescriptive approach of technology-specific standards.

A ban is a legal action that prevents the sale or supply of a product or service, or that recalls a product from the market. Examples are bans on SF6, greenwashing, fossil fuel advertisement or single-use plastics.

A target to reduce the prevalence of a greenhouse gas over a specific time frame

A commitment to balance GHG emissions with removal by a certain point in time, effectively reducing the net emissions to zero

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

Conditions that enhance the feasibility of adaptation options. Enabling conditions include finance, technological innovation, strengthening policy instruments, institutional capacity, multi-level governance and changes in human behaviour and lifestyles.

Hot temperature extremes are daily maximum temperatures  that were exceeded on average once in a decade or once in 50 years, and includes heatwaves.

A long-lived, colourless gas, chiefly emitted from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and cement production.

Replacing technologies that burn fossil fuels directly with alternatives powered by electricity.

Actions to reduce emissions in energy generation and supply.

Technologies that capture and hold energy in reserve for later use.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

A drought is an extended period of unusually dry weather marked by a significant and sustained lack of precipitation, falling below a specific threshold over a large area for more than a month

Electricity generation from devices driven by the movement of salt water, differences in saltwater temperatures, or salinity gradients.

Production of electricity and heat from solar irradiation.

Kinetic energy of airflow transformed into useful energy, mostly electrical energy.

Oil is a combustible liquid fossil fuel composed mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring as crude oil and refined into petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

Fossil gas, commonly known as natural gas, is a fossil fuel consisting chiefly of methane with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and trace gases, found in underground deposits.

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock formed from carbonised plant matter, rich in carbon and hydrocarbons, and occurring in several main types including hard coal and brown coal.

People with different national or cultural traditions from the dominant population

Work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for all, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity.

Social and cultural groups that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live, occupy or from which they have been displaced

Any compulsory, unrequited payment to the government levied on corporations or individuals. This can be for environmental reasons, such as introducing a Carbon tax to set a price that emitters must pay for the greenhouse gases they emit.

Activities of industries that extract natural resources, such as mining, oil, and gas, for commercial use.

The activities of industries that transforms raw materials into finished goods through industrial processes.

The activities of industries involved in the production, distribution, and sale of energy, including electricity, gas, and renewables.

Activities that involve planning, designing and building infrastructure, residential, and commercial structures.

This sector involves the wholesale and retail selling of goods.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

Activities of government agencies and institutions that provide public services, enforce laws and manage public resources.

Activities of businesses and institutions that provide financial services and products to individuals and organisations.

Activities that involve the cultivation of crops and raising of livestock for food, fibre, and other products essential for human life and industry.

Activities involving the catching, processing, and selling of fish for food, recreation, and industry.

Climate change impacts our society by disrupting the natural, economic and social systems we depend on. Physical hazards and underlying vulnerabilities can lead to increased resource competition for food and water, which can heighten the risk of conflict.

Slow onset events evolve gradually from incremental changes over many years or from increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. As defined in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), slow onset events include risks and impacts from rising temperatures, desertification, biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and salinization.

Heavy precipitation refers to any form of weather where substances fall from the sky, including rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Min-A Park v. South Korea - complaint

Target

Policy instrument

Risk

Impacted group

Just transition

Renewable energy

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance