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Total 80 publications
Defining Low-Carbon Steel in Korea : Technology Pathways under the K-Steel Act
The Act on Strengthening the Competitiveness of the Steel Industry and Supporting Its Carbon Neutral Transition(the “K-Steel Act”), passed by the National Assembly on November 27, marks Korea’s first formal commitment to steering its steel industry toward a low-carbon transition through institutional government support. With concrete implementation tools such as a Prime Minister-led Special Committee and the designation of low-carbon steel industrial zones, the Act makes the definition of low-carbon steel products and low-carbon steel technologies a decisive factor for the industry’s future competitiveness.
Coal Phase-Out Watcher NEXT Electricity Outlook 2025 - Part 2
This study presents an optimized coal phase-out roadmap that enables coal-fired power plants to maintain economic viability during their remaining operational period. By doing so, it aims to reduce uncertainties and financial risks associated with coal plant operations and contribute to accelerating the transition toward renewable energy.
Climate Risk-Based Prevention : An Imperative for Climate-Ready Governance
As the climate crisis accelerates, the nature of disasters is undergoing a qualitative transformation. The intensity of traditional disasters such as heatwaves and wildfires is increasing, while new risks—including flash droughts and compound disasters—are occurring more frequently, exposing the limitations of existing disaster response systems. In Korea, the average annual economic damage from natural disasters over the past five years (2019–2023) reached KRW 1.375 trillion, a sharp increase compared to KRW 198 billion during the previous five-year period (2014–2018). A fundamental cause of this escalation lies in the current disaster management framework’s reliance on historical data. Ahead of the planned release of the 4th National Climate Crisis Response Plan at the end of 2025, this issue brief identifies key policy priorities for shifting toward a prevention-centered disaster management paradigm.
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[Column] How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Range-Based NDC Targets
The government has finalized its 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) as a 53–61% reduction from 2018 levels. However, the lower-bound–oriented approach is viewed as prioritizing industrial burdens over scientific evidence. A range-type target risks driving administrative action toward the lower end, leaving the upper target as a symbolic declaration. To ensure industrial competitiveness and policy credibility, institutional improvements—such as setting fiscal and R&D plans based on the upper bound and introducing incentives for overachievement—are needed.
Enhancing the Effectiveness of Renewable Energy Tax Incentives through Transferability : A Quantitative Analysis
To enhance the export competitiveness of companies facing pressure to achieve RE100, there is an urgent need to promote policies that expand renewable energy procurement. However, the current investment tax credit scheme remains ineffective due to its low credit rate and structural constraints. This issue paper recommends increasing the investment tax credit rate, allowing the transfer of tax benefits to companies that sign direct PPAs as assignees, and introducing additional credits for the use of domestically manufactured products and local community participation.
Writing the Next Chapter for Korea's Renewable Energy Market
This report focuses on advancing the structural sophistication of the system, improving financial accessibility, and expanding market flexibility to accelerate renewable energy deployment in Korea. As corporate RE100 implementation methods diversify, there is a growing need for portfolio-based procurement strategies rather than reliance on a single approach. Accordingly, greater policy flexibility and institutional refinement have become essential. This report proposes specific improvements in four areas.
Strategic Transformation of Korea’s Petrochemical Complexes
The global petrochemical industry is facing structural stagnation due to oversupply, threatening the regional economies of Korea’s three main complexes (Yeosu, Daesan, Ulsan). The Korea petrochemical industry needs to shift to a new growth sector, backed by real investment to ease regional stagnation.
In the Era of Climate Crisis, An Unforeseen Disaster Called Flash Drought
Flash droughts are an emerging type of drought that has newly emerged as climate change intensifies hydrologic extremes. Within days to weeks, they can rapidly deplete water resources due to a combination of precipitation deficits and high temperatures that increase evapotranspiration.
A Comprehensive Assessment of Costs and Emissions in the Imported Green Hydrogen Value Chain for Korea
This issue paper presents a stage-by-stage cost analysis of importing green hydrogen from Australia to Korea, covering conversion, maritime shipping, storage, re-conversion, and distribution. The analysis estimates import costs for both ammonia and liquefied hydrogen under different technological scenarios.
Understanding U.S. Renewable Energy Tax Credits
This column aims to explain the U.S. renewable energy tax credit mechanisms popularized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and provide insights relevant to Korea's renewable energy policy formulation. In particular, it delivers an in-depth discussion of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and Production Tax Credit (PTC) — the foundational credit mechanisms for renewable energy — and also addresses the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit (AMPC) awarded to domestic battery manufacturers.