Gyeonggi-do

Seoul-teukbyeolsi

Jeollabuk-do

Gwangju-gwangyeoksi

Jeju-teukbyeoljachido

Gangwon-teukbyeoljachido

Busan-gwangyeoksi

Jeollanam-do

Daejeon-gwangyeoksi

Sejong

Chungcheongbuk-do

Daegu-gwangyeoksi

Gyeongsangbuk-do

Ulsan-gwangyeoksi

Chungcheongnam-do

Incheon-gwangyeoksi

Gyeongsangnam-do

Korea, Republic of

South Korea

Plan to have renewables account for 20% of the South Korea's generation capacity by 2030

Target to import overseas hydrogen (produced by renewable energy and brown coal) from 2030, with 70% of demand for hydrogen to be met with CO2-free hydrogen by 2040

Target 30,000 trucks to be powered by hydrogen in 2040

Target 80,000 taxis to be powered by hydrogen in 2040

Target 40,000 buses to be powered by hydrogen in 2040 (compared to 2 in 2018)

Target a hydrogen supply of 5.26 million tons by 2040

Target 1.9-2.7 million renewable energy facilities by 2040

Target the ratio of distributed generation to be 30% by 2040

Target average fuel efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles to be about 1.5 times higher in 2040 (compared to 2017)

Aim to distribute 8.3 million electric vehicles and 2.9 million hydrogen vehicles by 2040 (amounts to half of the vehicles registered in Korea)

Target a 38% reduction in energy intensity of the building sector by 2040

Target a 21% reduction in energy intensity of the industrial sector by 2040

Targets 18.6% (below the BAU level) reduction of energy consumption by 2040

Targets an energy mix where 30-35% of energy generation is renewables in 2040

Target total emissions cap for companies under the paid allocation system from 2018-2020 to be 1,777,130,000 tons

Target reduction of 536 million tons of carbon emissions by 2030

Each odmestic sector will reduce 277 million tons of GHG emissions (a 32.5% reduction of GHG emissions against BAU level)

cut its greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 by 35% or more from the 2018 levels

&nbsp;limit the national GHG emissions to 536 MtCO2eq by 2030

Allocating 219 MTCO2e reductions among the 315 million tons to reduced by 2030 to eight areas, including power generation, industry, and construction by 2030 compared with a 2016 baseline

Reduction of 64.5 MTCO2e in the power generation sector, which is to be achieved through adoption of low-carbon power sources, management of electricity demand, and higher electricity transmission and supply efficiency, by 2030 against a 2016 baseline

Natural gas to reach 18.8% share of electricity production by 2030 against a 2017 baseline

Coal to decrease at 36.1% share of electricity production by 2030 against a 2017 baseline

Nuclear to decrease at 36.1% share of electricity production by 2030 against a 2017 baseline

Nuclear energy represent 29% of the energy mix in 2035  by 2035 against a 2014 baseline

Reduction of 35.8 MTCO2e from buildings by 2030 against a 2016 baseline

Reduction of 3.6 MTCO2e from waste by 2030 against a 2016 baseline

Reduction of 15% of electricity demand by 2035 against a 2014 baseline

The industrial sector, which includes steel, petrochemicals, and 20 other business types, is to reduce 56.4 MTCO2e through energy efficiency improvements, gas development through environmentally friendly processes, refrigerant replacement, innovative technologies, and waste resource use by 2030 against a 2016 baseline

Reduction of 3.6 MTCO2e from public and other sectors by 2030 against a 2016 baseline

Final energy consumption reduced by 13% by 2035 against a 2014 baseline

Reduction of 1 MTCO2e from agriculture and livestock by 2030 against a 2016 baseline

Reduction of 28.2 MTCO2e from new energy industries by 2030 against a 2016 baseline

20% share of renewables in electricity production by 2030

Supply potential of renewables set as 11% by 2035

Reduction of 25.9 MTCO2e from transportation by 2030 against a 2016 baseline

This case is a civil injunction claim filed on Apr. 30, 2024, before the Seoul Central District Court by nineteen Korean youth plaintiffs together with Friends of the Earth Mozambique, an environmental NGO. The defendants are the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (KSURE). The plaintiffs seek to prohibit KEXIM and KSURE from providing loans or guarantees to the Mozambique Coral South Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) project, part of a large-scale gas development initiative in the Rovuma Basin.

The plaintiffs argue that financing the Coral South FLNG project violates constitutional rights under the Korean Constitution, including the rights to life, a healthy environment, and the protection of future generations, as well as Korea’s statutory obligations under domestic environmental and administrative law. They contend that KEXIM and KSURE’s support for the project would undermine the state’s duties to pursue sustainable development and to align public finance with Korea’s international climate commitments, including the Paris Agreement. According to the plaintiffs, the project will result in long-term fossil fuel lock-in, contribute substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions, and exacerbate the climate crisis with no overriding public interest justification.

The petition highlights Mozambique’s acute climate vulnerability, political instability, and weak governance, which exacerbate the risks of human rights violations, corruption, and project failure. It also stresses that the Coral South FLNG project has questionable economic viability due to high project costs and a declining global market for liquefied natural gas. The plaintiffs argue that channeling Korean public funds into this project exposes Korean youth and Mozambican communities alike to disproportionate and irreversible risks, while undermining the rights of present and future generations.

This is an administrative lawsuit brought by residents and climate advocacy groups against the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport seeking to nullify or cancel the approval  of the “Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Cluster National Industrial Complex Plan” The plaintiffs argue that the project will substantially increase greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbate climate change, and infringe their constitutional and statutory rights to a safe and healthy environment. They rely on the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth and environmental statutes, asserting that monetary compensation cannot remedy the irreversible harms of climate change.

The plaintiffs contend that the project’s approval relied on deficient environmental and climate impact assessments that failed to account for the full lifecycle emissions of the industrial complex, including electricity demand and hydrogen co-firing limitations. They argue that the development breaches Korea’s national carbon reduction obligations, undermines the 1.5°C climate target, and ignores low-carbon alternatives such as stricter energy efficiency measures and renewable integration. They further assert that approving the project sets a precedent that weakens regulatory oversight and ESG commitments in industrial planning.

The plaintiffs emphasize the broader consequences of the project’s emissions, estimating that it would add several million tons of CO₂ to national outputs, threatening local communities, future generations, and Korea’s climate commitments. 

This is a civil claim brought by South Korean youths against POSCO to stop the relining of the No. 2 blast furnace at Gwangyang Steelworks. The plaintiffs seek an injunction to halt the project, arguing that the project will extend carbon-intensive steel production for 15 years, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and infringing their constitutional rights to a healthy environment and life. They rely on Article 35 of the Constitution and environmental statutes, asserting that monetary compensation cannot remedy the irreversible harms of climate change.

Most plaintiffs live in steel-producing regions, including two living near the furnace. They contend that the relining exceeds socially tolerable environmental limits, breaches POSCO’s ESG commitments, and violates domestic and international carbon reduction obligations. They highlight the availability of low-carbon alternatives, such as electric arc furnace technology, and argue that continuing the project at issue prevents Korea from meeting the 1.5°C target and its national carbon budgets.

The plaintiffs further emphasize the broader impact of POSCO’s emissions, noting that the relining would add roughly 9.1 MtCO₂ to the sector’s already substantial output, threatening local communities, future generations, and national industrial competitiveness. 

After the case was filed, in March 2025, POSCO officially disclosed plans for a partial relining only, effectively shortening the furnace’s expected lifespan to 8 years.

On August 12, 2025, a group of Korean farmers filed a civil claim against the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and its five subsidiaries. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants, as Korea’s largest greenhouse gas emitters, have substantially contributed to the worsening climate crisis and abnormal climate events through their continued reliance on thermal and coal-fired power generation and related investments. The plaintiffs claim that these activities have caused severe damage to the plaintiff’s farming operations and seek compensation for both economic losses and psychological harm. 

The plaintiffs allege that despite longstanding knowledge of climate-related risks, the defendants, as public institutions, unfairly expanded coal and gas generation instead of transitioning to renewable. Invoking the polluter-pays principle, the plaintiffs argue that the defendants’ emissions and the resulting damage suffered by the plaintiffs exceed socially tolerable limits, giving rise to joint and several tort liability.
 
To apportion liability, the plaintiffs rely on the Nature article published in April 2025 and a 2014 research paper by Richard Heede, contending that it is possible to quantify the proportion of global carbon emissions attributable to each defendant and to assess the corresponding degree of climate change and resulting economic harm. 

Geography

Korea, Republic of

Recent cases