Industry: "2035 NDC Should Be Set Realistically, Considering Commercialization of Core Technologies"

KCCI Holds '2035 NDC Industrial Sector Forum'
Over 150 Participants from Industry, Academia, and Civil Society Organizations

There has been a call to consider the development and commercialization level of emission reduction technologies in the industrial sector during the process of establishing the national greenhouse gas reduction target (NDC) for 2035.

Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On October 13, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry held the '2035 NDC Industrial Sector Forum' at its conference room in Jung-gu, Seoul. The event was organized to gather opinions from various stakeholders, including the industrial sector, on the government's draft 2035 NDC. The seminar was attended by Ahn Sechang, Director-General of Climate and Energy Policy at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment; Jung Eunmi, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade; and Nam Jeongim, Director at the Korea Iron & Steel Association.

NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) refers to the greenhouse gas reduction targets that each country sets for itself under the Paris Agreement framework. The government plans to submit its 2035 NDC, which sets the reduction target for 2035, to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) next month. Regarding the 2035 NDC, the government has proposed four options to reduce emissions by 48% to up to 65% compared to 2018 levels. The four options are: ▲48% (reflecting industry demands), ▲53% (average annual linear pathway from 2018 to 2050), ▲61% (recommended by the international community), and ▲65% (recommended by civil society). South Korea's national reduction target for 2030 (2030 NDC) is a 40% reduction compared to 2018.

Introducing the draft 2035 NDC at the event, Director-General Ahn Sechang stated, "The transition to a decarbonized industry will be a challenge that opens up new markets while maintaining our industrial competitiveness," adding, "The government will strongly support the industrial sector through bold support and institutional improvements, and we hope companies will respond with innovation and technology development."

Nam Jeongim, Director at the Korea Iron & Steel Association, said, "Hydrogen-based steelmaking, a core emission reduction technology for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, is included in the draft 2035 NDC at a minimum scale of 1.5 million tons. However, the industry expects commercial facilities to be introduced by 2037," stressing, "The government must take into account the commercialization timeline of core carbon-neutral technologies such as hydrogen-based steelmaking when establishing the 2035 NDC."

Jung Eunmi, Senior Research Fellow, noted, "Among the scenarios discussed for nearly a year by the 'technology working group' of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory & Research Center (GIR) under the Ministry of Environment, which consists of experts, the most proactive and innovative scenario is the 48% reduction," emphasizing, "The government should not be driven solely by ambition but should carefully set realistically achievable targets." She added, "The government should consider the competitiveness and structural characteristics of Korean industry, and approach the issue as an industrial transformation and growth strategy rather than focusing solely on quantitative reduction targets."

Lee Sangjun, Professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, stated, "South Korea's NDC targets are directly linked to the regulatory level of the emissions trading system, so a scientific and thorough review is necessary," and suggested, "The government should comprehensively consider the pace of technological development in the industrial sector and on-site conditions, and clearly distinguish between reduction measures that can be applied before 2035 and those that are realistically unfeasible."

Choi Changmin, policy activist at Plan 1.5, argued, "It is the state's duty to protect the basic rights of its people from the climate crisis, and South Korea's 2035 NDC should be set at 61% or higher, which is the global average reduction rate required to achieve the 1.5°C target." He also criticized, "We need to critically re-examine the industrial sector reduction target (21-30%), which is set much lower than those of Japan or Germany, countries with similar industrial structures to ours."

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