Minister Lee In-young: "South and North Must Cooperate to Achieve 'Carbon Neutrality on the Korean Peninsula'"

Lee In-young, Minister of Unification, is attending the "Symposium on Inter-Korean Cooperation Measures for Carbon Neutrality on the Korean Peninsula" held on the 8th at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Lee In-young, Minister of Unification, emphasized that South and North Korea must work together to achieve carbon neutrality on the Korean Peninsula.

In his congratulatory speech at the "Symposium on Inter-Korean Cooperation Measures for Carbon Neutrality on the Korean Peninsula" held at the Seoul Press Center on the 8th, Minister Lee stated, "(Carbon neutrality) is a very urgent and critical collaborative task that the South and North must act on together right now."

As a priority collaborative task, he pointed to the modernization of nurseries and cooperation in pest control, agreed upon in the 2018 forestry subcommittee talks.

Minister Lee said, "If we restore North Korea's forest ecosystem, the Korean Peninsula will expand a large-scale carbon sink," and emphasized, "Subsequently, depending on the progress of the Korean Peninsula peace process and North Korea-U.S. denuclearization negotiations, it will be possible to diversify into mutually beneficial cooperative tasks across various industrial sectors, including renewable energy."

He added, "In the long term, depending on the situation, it would be good if South and North could jointly set 'Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets for the Korean Peninsula' and explore ways to comprehensively manage emissions and reduction performance."

He also mentioned the need to strengthen the overall response capacity of the Korean Peninsula in the era of climate crisis, stating, "We must promote inter-Korean meteorological cooperation to monitor and forecast climate change across the entire Korean Peninsula and strengthen the overall response capacity." He also proposed reviewing the 'Peace New Deal,' a new inter-Korean economic cooperation model based on carbon reduction and sustainability.

Minister Lee said, "The climate crisis does not stop at the Military Demarcation Line, so we must also overcome the walls of division and join hands in cooperation," and expressed hope that "considering the importance and urgency of this matter, South and North will soon be able to come together in dialogue."