People Power Party "2 Million Zero-Emission Vehicles to be Distributed by 2027"

Announcement of 2nd Climate Pledge
Expansion of National Subsidies for Zero-Emission Vehicles
Increase of Carbon Neutrality Points to 500,000 Won

Yu Eui-dong, Chairman of the Policy Committee of the People Power Party, is entering the conference room on the 29th at the National Assembly to announce the second pledge of the 'Climate Future Delivery'. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The People Power Party announced its second climate pledge, promising to expand the distribution of zero-emission vehicles and increase carbon neutrality points.

The Party's Pledge Development Headquarters stated at the National Assembly on the 29th that they plan to distribute 2 million zero-emission vehicles by 2027. To achieve this, sufficient support will be provided so that economically vulnerable groups and small business owners can also switch to zero-emission vehicles. When vulnerable groups purchase zero-emission vehicles, an additional national subsidy amounting to 20% of the basic subsidy will be provided. Young people buying a car for the first time in their life will receive an additional 30% of the existing subsidy. Taxi workers will receive an additional 2.5 million KRW, and delivery workers will receive an additional 10% of the existing subsidy.

The People Power Party also announced pledges regarding electric vehicle charging facilities. Slow chargers will be installed at living hubs such as residences and workplaces, and fast chargers will be concentrated at mobile hubs like rest areas, expanding the number of chargers from 300,000 as of last year to 850,000 by 2027. All 500,000 slow chargers, which pose a fire risk due to long charging times, will be replaced with fire-prevention type chargers. Additionally, the distribution of hydrogen commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks will be expanded, and more than 50 liquefied hydrogen charging infrastructure sites?which are compressed 800 times more than gaseous hydrogen and have shorter charging times?will be installed by 2027.

Carbon neutrality points will also be increased from a maximum of 70,000 KRW per year to 500,000 KRW. The carbon neutrality points system, run by the Ministry of Environment, provides cash-equivalent points to citizens who practice 'carbon neutrality' in daily life, such as using tumblers and reusable containers. As of last month, there are 1.25 million subscribers. Ten items, including bicycle use and food waste reduction, will be added to the existing items like tumbler and reusable container use, increasing opportunities to accumulate points. Unit price adjustments for each item will also be made.

By 2027, the use of plastics will be reduced by 10% through lightweighting and mandating PET bottles and disposable delivery containers. To this end, reusable containers will be distributed to a total of 30,000 locations such as restaurants and cafes. Furthermore, the plan is to achieve a 25% usage rate of recycled plastic raw materials by 2027, gradually expanding the mandatory targets and usage amounts for recycled raw materials.

In addition, the People Power Party will establish resource circulation cluster hubs by item in Gumi (semiconductors), Haenam (solar panel waste), Busan and Ulsan (plastics), and Boryeong (bio). They plan to support resident companies through factory establishment special cases and the introduction of regulatory sandboxes (exemptions). Pyrolysis facilities that convert waste plastics into high value-added raw materials will also be expanded through public-private partnerships to handle up to 800,000 tons annually.

Measures to protect climate-vulnerable groups from heatwaves and cold spells were also announced. Heating cables will be installed in ice-prone areas such as outdoor worker shelters and around senior centers, and a budget of 20 billion KRW will be secured by 2026 for installing shade structures and cooling fog systems in traditional markets.

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