South Korea, having sworn to lead the green transition, is holding it up
The country has given its polluting industries even longer to cut their emissions
Addressing the UN‘s annual climate summit in 2009, South Korea’s then-president promised his country would be “an early mover when it comes to tackling climate change”. Lee Myung-bak pledged that South Korea would allocate the equivalent of 2% of GDP per year to the fight over the next five years and host an inter-governmental initiative, the Global Green Growth Institute, outside Seoul. “Instead of saying you first’,” said Mr Lee, the former head of Hyundai Construction, South Korea would henceforth act “me first”.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Greenwashing in Seoul”
Asia June 24th 2023
From the June 24th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Asia
By resisting arrest, South Korea’s president challenges democracy
His attempt to impose martial law failed. But Yoon Suk Yeol is still causing trouble
How 1.4bn Indians are adapting to climate change
As heat, floods and drought get worse, people are getting creative
Economic bright spots are getting harder to find in Thailand
Falling car production is a sign of a deeper malaise
Another accidental aircraft shootdown is a matter of when, not if
The spread of conflict in Asia threatens the safety of air travellers
Why you’re not on holiday in India right now
A fabulous destination for foreign tourists does little to lure them
Singapore’s government is determined to keep hawker centres alive
Why is the city-state’s bare-bones government running a bureaucracy of stir-fries?