President Moon: "Hydrogen is the First Democratic Energy Source in History"

Attended the Hydrogen Leading Nation Vision Report Event... "In the Hydrogen Era, South Korea is the New Energy Protagonist"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 7th, President Moon Jae-in stated at the 'Hydrogen Economy Achievements and Hydrogen Leading Nation Vision Report' event held at the 'Hyundai Mobis Hydrogen Fuel Cell Plant Investment Site' in Seo-gu, Incheon, "Hydrogen is the first democratic energy source in history that can be obtained equally anywhere on Earth."

President Moon said, "The hydrogen era is a world where technology and innovation, not underground resources, become the main players in energy. South Korea was a resource-poor country and heavily dependent on overseas energy during the fossil fuel era, but it is different in the hydrogen era," adding, "With South Korea's world-class innovation capabilities, we can become the proud protagonist of new energy. We can realize the grand dream of becoming a hydrogen leading nation and an energy powerhouse."

President Moon stated, "Hydrogen is a core energy source in the carbon-neutral era. It serves as fuel for eco-friendly transportation such as automobiles and ships, is used in zero-carbon power sources like fuel cells, and is a versatile energy used in industrial processes," and added, "We will further develop areas where we are advanced to expand the super-gap and quickly catch up in areas where we are lacking. We will gather all national capabilities to lead the hydrogen economy."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon said, "In particular, in the hydrogen utilization fields such as hydrogen vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells, we firmly hold the position as the world's number one leading nation. We have firmly maintained the number one position in hydrogen passenger car supply and global market share, and various hydrogen mobility such as hydrogen trucks, trams, cleaning vehicles, forklifts, city buses, drones, and ships are being exported, utilized, or demonstrated. The supply of fuel cells for power generation also ranks first in the world, and in September, we achieved the milestone of exporting overseas for the first time."

President Moon said, "The number of hydrogen charging stations has increased more than tenfold from 9 in September 2017 to 112 as of August this year, expanding at the fastest pace in the world. As confirmed through experiments and actual use, hydrogen is a safer energy than LPG, city gas, or gasoline," and predicted, "If we overcome vague fears, the expansion of hydrogen charging stations will accelerate even more."

President Moon said, "Private companies have also announced large-scale investment plans worth 43 trillion won and have begun full-scale investment in the hydrogen economy," and pledged, "The government will strongly promote 'Clean Hydrogen Leading Nation' as South Korea's core future strategy."

President Moon stated that the current 100% gray hydrogen supply structure will be converted to 100% clean hydrogen by 2050. Additionally, he expressed the ambition to build a seamless infrastructure where hydrogen can be easily charged anytime and anywhere and supplied throughout the country.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also expressed the will to realize a carbon-neutral South Korea where hydrogen utilization becomes commonplace. President Moon said, "The hydrogen economy is still in its early stages but has infinite potential. If we boldly challenge and lead the hydrogen economy, it will be a blue ocean for future food sources and new job creation," and added, "Now, the government and companies are one team moving toward becoming a hydrogen leading nation."

Meanwhile, the event was attended by Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance; Moon Seung-wook, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; and Park Nam-chun, Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City.

From the corporate sector, attendees included Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group; Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group; Choi Jeong-woo, Chairman of POSCO; Cho Hyun-sang, Vice Chairman of Hyosung; Heo Yong-soo, CEO of GS Energy; Kim Dong-kwan, CEO of Hanwha Solutions; Jung Ki-sun, Vice President of Hyundai Heavy Industries; and Koo Dong-hwi, CEO in charge of operations at E1.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.