South Korea’s climate pledge to cut coal, lower emissions with US pressure to buy LNG

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea is pledging to reduce its reliance on coal power as part of its pledge to reduce carbon emissions that contribute to climate change, but that ambition is at odds with the Trump administration’s push for more U.S. natural gas exports.

At recent UN climate talks, South Korea’s new Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced plans to close most of the country’s coal-fired power plants by 2040 and cut carbon emissions by at least half by 2035.

Experts say it shows that South Korea, a major coal importer with the largest fleet of coal plants, wants to speed up its renewable energy transition, which lags behind neighbors and global averages.

But as part of a trade deal with President Donald Trump, Seoul is increasing imports of U.S. liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Climate activists argue that such plans could conflict with the country’s commitment to help curb climate change and lock South Korea into a future dependent on fossil fuels.

South Korea is in talks to invest $350 billion in U.S. projects and buy up to $100 billion in U.S. energy products, including liquefied natural gas LNG for easier storage and travel. It burns cleaner than coal, but still causes planet-warming emissions, especially methane.

South Korea’s overall LNG imports may not increase if it offsets purchases of additional U.S. natural gas by reducing imports from other sources, such as Australia and the Middle East.

Still, it’s unclear how South Korea will “manage and integrate this contradictory plan in terms of its energy sector,” said Michelle Kim, an energy expert at the US-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

Power transitions underpin climate goals

South Korea’s moderate President Lee Jae-myung, who won the then-election in June, campaigned for tougher climate commitments. They were softened under their conservative predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted after declaring short-lived martial law.

“As global temperatures rise, we all need to take responsible climate action and Korea will have a strong sense of responsibility to deal with the climate crisis,” Kim Sung-hwan, the inaugural Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

South Korea’s goal of cutting carbon emissions from 53% to 61% of 2018 levels fell short of climate activists’ expectations. Business lobbies representing major producers proposed a 48% emissions reduction target.

“This range represents the government’s attempt to accommodate two very different ways of thinking about the nation’s economic and climate future,” said Jujin Kim of Solutions for Our Climate, a Seoul-based advocacy group.

South Korea is facing a climate dilemma over its agreement with the US

The South Korean government has made ambitious commitments to increase its use of clean energy, even as Trump’s sweeping ‘America First’ tariffs fueled energy talks between Seoul and Washington.

As part of its broader effort to avoid higher tariffs, South Korea offered to import more LNG from the US, but a final trade deal has not been announced.

According to industry analysis and US federal documents, the deal is still under negotiation for three to 10 years. Depending on the duration of the contract, South Korea could import 3 million to 9 million tons of US LNG annually.

LNG made up about a fifth of South Korea’s total energy supply last year, according to the International Energy Agency, or IEA. The government’s target was to reduce it to 10.6 percent by 2038.

South Korea risks its climate goals if the pending trade deal increases the total amount of LNG it imports, potentially justifying an oversupply issue and a deal to burn excess gas, said Insung Lee with Greenpeace in Seoul.

“If we replace coal plants with LNG, it means that getting out of coal doesn’t really lead to a green transition and only changes Korea’s addiction from coal to gas, which undermines the whole sense of climate action,” Lee said.

South Korea’s energy mix

Renewable energy produced 7% of South Korea’s domestic energy in 2022, according to the IEA. South Korea’s government data showed growth last year at 10.5 percent, still one of the lowest among major economies.

Japan, an economy twice as large, generates 21 percent of its energy from renewable sources. Spain, whose economy is about the same size as South Korea’s, gets 42% of its energy from renewable sources.

Clean energy provided nearly 30% of global electricity generation in 2023.

Nuclear power produces the bulk of South Korea’s domestic power, with government figures showing that nuclear sources accounted for 31% of total electricity generation last year.

“We will phase out coal and transition to a new energy system that focuses on renewables and nuclear,” said Energy Minister Kim. He said South Korea would use LNG as a “supplementary or emergency energy source” for irregularities in renewable energy supply.

In early December, South Korea set another target of increasing its offshore wind power capacity to 4 gigawatts, nearly 10 times the current level.

South Korean companies that do not cut carbon emissions could face a competitive disadvantage, said IEEFA’s Michelle Kim.

Many global industries, including shipping and aviation, face pressure to reduce emissions by creating incentives for low emitters and barriers for high ones, she said.

“It’s too much of a risk,” she said. “South Korea must accelerate the use of renewable energy and move away from high dependence on the fossil fuel industry.”

Coal trade brackets for South Korea cuts

At last month’s climate talks, South Korea joined the Powering Past Coal Coalition, a group of businesses, organizations and governments promoting the green energy transition.

It’s a largely symbolic move, said Bruce Douglas, with the Global Renewables Alliance. “But it signals the government’s clear intention to move away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy.”

South Korea imports almost all of its coal from Australia, Indonesia and Russia, and the switch to renewable energy is sure to affect regional markets.

South Korea’s pledge to retire 40 of its 61 coal sites by 2040 could be “an enforced transition” for coal exporters in the Asia-Pacific region, said James Bowen, with Climate Analysis. “It’s a reality that they’re going to have to deal with this downturn in the market.”

“The writing is on the wall,” Bowen said. “One of the world’s biggest importers, one of its biggest customers, is starting to move away from coal.”

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