South Korea

Overall rating
Highly insufficient

Policies and action
against modelled domestic pathways

Highly insufficient
< 4°C World

NDC target (domestic)
against modelled domestic pathways

Insufficient
< 3°C World

NDC target (full)
against fair share

Highly insufficient
< 4°C World
Climate finance
Not assessed
Net zero target

year

2050

Comprehensiveness rated as

Average
Land use & forestry
Not significant

Summary

We evaluate the net zero target as: Average.

The South Korean government included its commitment of carbon neutrality by 2050 in its updated NDC and Long-Term Strategy (LTS) (Republic of Korea, 2020, 2021b). The carbon neutrality target is enshrined in law through the Carbon Neutrality Act, which was passed in August 2021 (Ministry of Environment, 2021) and enforced in March 2022 (Ministry of Environment, 2022b).

In October 2021, South Korea published two draft pathways to net zero emissions in 2050 – the 2050 carbon neutrality scenarios (Republic of Korea, 2021c). Improving on the LTS, the 2050 pathways explicitly state that the net zero target does not include overseas reductions. However, South Korea is still not explicit in its coverage of GHGs, and the target review process lacks detail.

The two scenarios phase out coal before 2050, although the exact phase-out year remains unclear. One of the scenarios also phases out natural gas. The other one allows for some natural gas, and has a higher amount of CCUS in turn to compensate the emissions. Both scenarios assume a sink of about 25 MtCO2e from forestry in 2050.

South Korea has progressed the legal implementation of the carbon neutrality target, and the CAT now evaluates the “comprehensive planning” as a given. Nevertheless, the government still has not made the emissions coverage explicit, a prerequisite for an overall evaluation of “acceptable”.

South Korea
Comprehensiveness of net zero target design
Average
Scope
Target year: 2050
Emissions coverage

Target covers emissions / sectors partially (under 95% coverage)

International aviation and shipping

The target excludes both international aviation and shipping

Reductions or removals outside of own borders

Plans to reach net zero through domestic actions and no removals outside borders

Architecture
Legal Status

Net zero target in law

Separate reduction & removal targets

Separate emission reduction and removal targets

Review Process

Non-legally binding process to review net zero target OR In process of establishing a review cycle for net zero

Transparency
Carbon dioxide removal

Transparent assumptions or pathways for LULUCF and removals

Comprehensive planning

Underlying (governmental or government-endorsed) analysis that identifies a pathway to and key measures for reaching net zero. The analysis includes sector-specific detail

Clarity on fairness of target

Country makes no reference to fairness or equity in the context of its net zero target

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