[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in shared a post by Environment Minister Han Jeong-ae following Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Hong Nam-ki, emphasizing that "the 2030 NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) must be achieved." This appears to be aimed at the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, which has hinted at revising the greenhouse gas reduction targets.
On the 14th, President Moon stated through social networking services (SNS), "False claims are rampant, so the Environment Minister posted on Facebook to directly inform the public, and I am sharing it as well."
The post shared by President Moon from Minister Han concerns the Moon administration's carbon neutrality policy. In the post, Minister Han said, "The path toward carbon neutrality is a transition to a green nation, a path we must take," adding, "Even if there are adjustments to the policy's title and content, I hope the baton passing between governments will definitely be carried out."
Minister Han's post came in response to the transition team’s announcement on the same day that they would make major revisions after pointing out problems with the Moon administration's carbon neutrality policy. Won Hee-ryong, the planning committee chairman of the transition team, criticized, "The Democratic Party government has been shouting for carbon neutrality, but greenhouse gas emissions increased by more than 4% last year and are expected to rise again this year."
He also said, "Changing the promises we made to the international community arbitrarily is unthinkable in terms of South Korea's national dignity and the international climate change framework," but added, "However, regarding whether this is absolutely unchangeable, there can be many circumstances and variables," which was interpreted as suggesting a change in the NDC target.
In response, Minister Han rebutted the transition team’s claims, stating, "Our country reached the peak of carbon emissions in 2018, and since then, carbon emissions have been on a decreasing trend."
President Moon also emphasized in his SNS post, "Our government has achieved meaningful results in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fine dust," adding, "South Korea peaked in greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, and due to government efforts such as the shutdown of coal power plants, emissions have since sharply decreased."
He continued, "Although emissions rose slightly again in 2021 due to economic rebound, compared to the global average increase of 4.9%, South Korea's increase was 4.2%, so the overall decreasing trend is being maintained," and said, "The 2030 NDC target is certainly a difficult path, but it is a goal we can and must achieve."
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