From Steel City to Green City...
A Global Stage for Discussions on Industrial, Climate, and Urban Transformation
Local Cities Elevate Global Climate Leadership
Presenting a Model for Industrial Transformation Based on Green Technology
Pohang City is set to lead discussions on solutions to the climate crisis and green transition strategies through the international conference '2025 Global Green Growth Forum,' further solidifying its status as a global climate leadership city.
The city will host the '2025 Global Green Growth Forum (WGGF)' at Lahan Hotel Pohang from May 14 to 15.
This forum will serve as an international platform where industry, cities, and citizens come together to seek solutions to the pressing challenges of climate crisis response and carbon neutrality. More than 300 participants, including domestic and international experts, representatives from international organizations, industry leaders, and citizens, are expected to attend.
In particular, this event is a large-scale forum to introduce Pohang's policy direction?shifting from a steel industry-based city to one centered on eco-friendly new industries?to the international community. It also marks a significant first step toward developing a signature international conference that will represent Pohang in the future.
Pohang has long been known as a leading industrial city with a structure centered on the steel industry. However, in recent years, the city has been actively fostering eco-friendly new industries such as secondary batteries, hydrogen, and bio, preparing to leap forward as a 'green transition city.'
The opening ceremony will be attended in person by a variety of distinguished guests, including former President Lee Myung-bak, who will deliver congratulatory remarks emphasizing the green transition of industrial cities and the strengthening of climate leadership by local governments.
Minister of Environment Kim Wan-seop and Ban Ki-moon, Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), will also deliver video messages highlighting the importance of international cooperation.
Representatives from international organizations such as the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub and the Global Green Growth Institute, as well as leading domestic eco-friendly companies including POSCO, Ecopro, and Doosan Fuel Cell, will participate to engage in in-depth discussions on the sustainability of industry and cities.
The forum will consist of a total of seven sessions. On the first day, discussions will focus on global green growth policy trends and strategies for inter-city cooperation.
In the keynote speeches, Kim Sang-hyup, Secretary-General of GGGI, will present ways to achieve green growth for a sustainable future, while Adair Turner, Chair of the Energy Transitions Commission, will emphasize the importance of energy transition in responding to the climate crisis.
That afternoon, the 'Carbon Neutral Leading Cities' session will explore Pohang's green transition case, compare it with the Tianjin Eco-city in China and regional net-zero strategies in Japan, and examine practical experiences and possibilities for cooperation.
On the second day, sessions will cover green growth cooperation with developing countries, blue carbon and marine ecosystem restoration strategies, and participatory sessions focused on citizen engagement and action.
Side events will include a 'Green Growth Idea Hackathon,' 'Pohang Town Hall COP,' and the signing of an MOU between Pohang City and GGGI, laying a practical foundation for urban transformation that combines policy, technology, and citizen participation.
Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, "We plan to strengthen our status as a model city for green technology and carbon neutrality, and to fully activate our international policy cooperation network. This forum will serve as a declaration to the international community, clearly presenting the future direction Pohang aspires to as a city."
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