>> NOW ON THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE BUT FOLLOWING A DEVASTATING MONSOON SEASON ACTIVIST IN SOUTH KOREA SAY THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT LIVING UP TO ITS ON TARGET TO BECOME CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2050.

SOO YOOK KIM THE PRESIDENT COMMISSION OF GREEN GROWTH AND HE SAT DOWN WITH SOUTH KOREA'S CLIMATE POLICY.

THIS CONVERSATION IS PART OF THE ONGOING PUBLIC MEDIA COMMISSION ON THE CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US FOR LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW THEY PLAN TO DEAL WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.

HE WAS A COUNTRY PLAN TO GET CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2050 WHICH IS AMBITIOUS AND THE CONCERN IS ALSO WHAT CAN YOU DO BETWEEN NOW AND 2050?

RIGHT NOW YOU ARE DECREASING THE GOAL OF YOUR RENEWABLES BY 2030 AND YOU ARE DECREASING THE GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION GOAL FOR YOUR INDUSTRIALS.

AND YOU STILL HAVE I DON'T KNOW, MORE THAN HALF OF YOUR ENERGY COMING FROM FOSSIL FUEL.

SO HOW DOES KOREA GET FROM WHERE YOU ARE TODAY TO CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2050?

>> THESE ARE THE ADMINISTRATION SUCCEEDED THE PLEDGE ANNOUNCED BY THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION TO MAKE THE CARBON NEUTRALITY POSSIBLE BY 2050.

BUT THE REAL THING IS THE TARGET BY 2030 AND THAT POINT KOREA ALSO SUCCEEDED THE PLEDGE.

TO CUT 40% OF ITS GREENHOUSE GASES COMPARED TO THE LEVEL OF 2018 AND THAT IS A VERY DEMANDING AND DAUNTING TASK.

HE SAID WE HAVE MODERATED THE PORTION OF RENEWABLES, THE PENETRATION RATE OF RENEWABLES IN TERMS OF POWER GENERATION LAST YEAR IS ABOUT 9%.

BUT WE ARE GOING TO INCREASE MORE THAN 21.6% BY 2013.

MORE THAN 2.5 TIMES BIGGER THAN NOW.

AND THIS IS QUITE CHALLENGING ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES WITH THE WIND POWER WE ARE GOING TO INCREASE MORE THAN 10 TIMES.

>> SO YOU'RE INCREASING YOUR RENEWABLES SO WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT INDUSTRIALS?

YOU PUNCH ABOVE YOUR WAY IN TERMS OF HOW BIG OF A COUNTRY YOU ARE VERSUS HOW MUCH YOU MANUFACTURE.

>> SO CAREER IS AS YOU KNOW QUITE ENERGY INTENSIVE AND INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRY WHICH MEANS THEY CONSUME A LOT OF ENERGY AND OMITS A LOT OF CO2.

THAT REFLECTS CAREER STRUCTURE AND ECONOMY.

WITH HAVING SAID THAT THE EFFECT OF THE MANUFACTURER.

IF YOU LOOK AT THAT POINT IN THE TIME GIVEN TO US IS LESS THAN EIGHT YEARS BY 2013.

SO CAN YOU IMAGINE MORE THAN 10% AS POSSIBLE.

THAT IS WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO.

THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION PLUS INDUSTRIAL SECTORS, THAT MEANS A DECREASE BY ABOUT 15%.

THAT WAS TOO MUCH.

WHEN WE TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT THE SCIENTIFIC GROUND FOR IT IT WAS UNREASONABLE.

UNREALISTIC.

SO WE HAVE HAD TO MAKE A COORDINATION AND THE BEST THAT WE COULD COME UP WITH THIS AROUND 11%.

DANA NESSEL QUITE DEMANDING.

>> SO WHAT IS TO KEEP FROM FUTURE ADMINISTRATIONS FROM ADJUSTING AND SAYING HERE IS WHAT IS REALISTIC, HERE IS WHAT IS REASONABLE AND RATIONAL.

>> THE MOST IMPORTANT THING REGARDING CLIMATE POLICY IS HAVING POLICY CONSISTENCY.

>> SO I HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH YOU.

LAST YEAR, IT IS ESTIMATED CUT BY ENCOURAGING.

>> HOW MUCH OF THAT WAS A REFLECTION OF AN ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN FROM THE PANDEMIC?

>> THAT WAS MOST SEVERE.

2020 WAS MOST SERIOUS, PERIOD.

AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC.

THE MEANTIME MY MISSION WAS NOT MERELY DUE TO THE EXTERNAL FACTORS.

BUT LAST YEAR HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PANDEMIC SO IT WAS DONE BY HAVING PROPER -- SO WE MADE A COME BACK TO THE RIGHT PLACE AND WE HAVE INCREASED RENEWABLES IN A VERY MEANINGFUL WAY AND WE HAVE REDUCED COAL FIRE POWERED GENERATION.

>> ARE PEOPLE HERE HESITANT BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD SO DOES BEAK?

THERE HAS TO BE CONCERN HERE ON WHAT LEVELS OF SAFETY AND REDUNDANCY ARE YOU BUILDING IN BEFORE YOU DO THIS >> SAFETY IS MOST IMPORTANT SO AT THE HEART OF THE POWER COMPANY SAFETY COMES FIRST.

>> KOREA IS ALSO DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING A FUTURE GENERATION OF NUCLEAR POWER WHICH IS KNOWN AS -- WHICH IS MUCH MORE SAFER WHICH IS THE FUTURE OF POWER GENERATION IN THE END IT WILL WORK IN THAT KIND OF DO IT WITH A RENEWABLE ENERGY.

THE SMALL-SCALE WILL BE MORE FLEXIBLE TO WORK WITH.

THE FINAL GOAL OF HAVING THESE TWO MAJOR SOURCE WORK TOGETHER IS TO PICK AWAY FOSSIL FUEL.

>> IS ERIK AND TURN ON THE PART OF KOREA ABOUT THE RELEASE OF THE WATERS AND HOW IT WOULD IMPACT YOU, NOT JUST IN TERMS OF YOUR POTENTIAL POLLUTION BUT ALSO YOUR LARGER PLANS?

>> I THINK IT SHOULD COME FIRST.

SO IF THERE IS A SOLID SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT WATER IS DANGEROUS WE SHOULD STOP IT.

BUT IF THERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC GROUNDS FOR IT, WE CAN TAKE IT REASONABLY BUT WE HAD TO CONSIDER THE ELEMENT OF SENTIMENT AND WORRY ORDINARY PEOPLE HAVE.

THAT IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT WHICH IS COMPOSING REALITY.

SO WE NEED TO BE KIND OF VERY CAREFUL IN RESPONDING TO THAT MATTER THERE ARE TWO DIMENSIONS.

ONE, SCIENTIFIC.

THE OTHER, CALL IT SENTIMENT ELEMENT WHICH IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT.

>> THEY ARE TO CORRELATE MORE OPENLY WITH NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES.

>> RIGHT NOW KOREA'S ENERGY MAKES THE HOUSE A QUARTER OF ENERGY FROM COAL AND A LOT OF THAT YOU ARE IMPORTING.

MORE THAN IT ORDER YOU ARE GETTING FROM NATURAL GAS AND SO HOW DO YOU CHANGE THE NEEDS OF TODAY'S POWER EVEN IF IT IS GOING TO TAKE A WHILE FOR YOU TO CHANGE THE SUPPLY WHERE YOU GET THAT FROM.

>> 'S AT THE WAR, LOVE FOSSIL FUEL WENT UP VERY SHARPLY AND THEN WENT DOWN.

IT IS VERY VOLATILE IN TERMS OF PRICE.

IT IS NO LONGER DEPENDENT, RELIABLE ENERGY SOURCE ANYMORE.

THAT IS WHERE HE MADE ANOTHER DETERMINATION.

WE FOCUS ON RELIABLE ENERGY SUCH AS NUCLEAR AND THE OTHER SIDE.

THAT MAKES IT ALSO.

>> IS A ROAD MAP FOR THIS.

>> WE HAD A ROAD MAP FOR THIS .

FOR EXAMPLE THE YEAR 2000, SO FAR COAL FIRE POWER PLANTS POWER GENERATION IS NUMBER 1 AS OF TODAY BUT IT'LL BE THE FOURTH ENERGY SOURCE IN THE YEAR 2030.

SO WE ARE VERY GOING TO RAPIDLY CHANGE.

>> I WENT TO AND YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH RECENTLY AND ADDING ONE IN 10 CARS WERE ELECTRIC VEHICLES.

ONE OF THE CONCERNS THE ELECTRIC VEHICLES IS STILL THAT RIGHT NOW TO PHYSICALLY MOVE A GALLON OF GAS IS A VERY NICE IS A PORTABLE WAY FOR SOMEONE TO GET POWER.

VERSUS UNIT WAS FAST CHARGING ELECTRIC VEHICLES YOU NEED TO RETHINK THE INFRASTRUCTURE, EITHER ON AN ISLAND OR NATION OR AS WE HAVE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF GAS STATION BECAUSE THEY HAVE DEVELOPED OVER DECADES.

IF ALL VEHICLES WERE ELECTRIC THE LIGHTS WOULD GO OUT.

NOT EVERYBODY COULD PLUG IN AT THE SAME TIME.

>> THAT IS WHERE YOU NEED TO DEVELOP A SMART AND FLEXIBLE PRICING SYSTEM.

>> WE ALSO GOING TO DEVELOP A DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SO GERMANY HASN'T OFFERED AN IN THE END AI IS VERY GOOD AT MAKING OPTIMAL MANAGEMENT.

>> ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND SOLAR PANELS ARE FINE FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN BIG CITIES AND HAVE DISPOSABLE INCOMES.

HOW DO YOU MAKE THE TRANSITION WORK FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE PARTS OF YOUR POPULATION WHO ARE JUST TRYING TO GET BY AND JUST WANT TO GET TO THEIR JOB THE QUICKEST WAY.

HOW DO YOU MAKE THEM PART OF THIS GREEN REVOLUTION?

>> THAT IS ONE REASON THEY ARE DEVELOPING.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU LIVE IN A RURAL AREA AND YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH CHARGING SYSTEMS USED TO GO TO THE CITY TO GET YOUR CARTER'S CHARGED BUT WHEN IT COMES TO A SOLID-STATE BATTERY THERE CHARGING TIME IS VERY VERY QUICK AND THE DURATION TIME IS MUCH LONGER.

THE BIGGEST DISTANCE IS ONLY 800 KILOMETERS.

RELATIVELY SHORT.

SO WE CAN TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES ESPECIALLY FULLY AUTONOMOUS IN THE END.

SO THAT IS WHY I SAID, FULLY AUTONOMOUS ELECTRIC VEHICLES CAN PLAY A ROLE OF ENERGY CARRIER WHICH CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE ENERGY PEAK MANAGEMENT.

>> IT SEEMS THERE IS ALSO A RACE HERE FOR WHO WILL BE THE COUNTRY THAT ACTUALLY LEADS THE REST OF THE PLANET.

INNOVATION WISE.

WHEN YOU ARE SITTING AT GOVERNMENT MEETINGS, DO YOU SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE IS SORT OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, IF THEY ARE GOING TO BE BETTER BATTERIES, BETTER SOLAR CELLS, BETTER DESIGNED WINDMILLS, THAT OUR COMPANY CAN MAKE IT?

>> OF COURSE.

OF COURSE.

IT IS TRUE THAT KOREA HAS MANY HARD TO OBEY SECTORS IN OUR ECONOMY.

THEY ARE QUITE ENERGY INTENSIVE, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE OTHER SIDE, IF WE CAN IMPROVE THESE MATTERS, WE HAVE A HUGE OPPORTUNITY.

THAT IS PART OF THEIR GREEN GOALS.

THAT IS WHY THEY ARE CONCENTRATING ON HAVING GREEN TECHNOLOGY.

GREEN INDUSTRY AND GREEN FINANCE TOGETHER.

RECENTLY WE HAD A SPECIAL COMPOST ORGANIZED BY OUR COMMISSION.

COMMISSION FOR CARBON NEUTRALITY AND GREEN GROWS.

WE ARE GOING TO SURPASS MORE THAN 100 U.S. BILLION DOLLARS TO NURTURE CLIMATE, TECH AND INDUSTRIES.

>> WHAT IS THAT MONEY COME FROM?

>> BESIDES THE PUBLIC MONEY IN THE GOVERNMENT BUDGET WHICH IS ABOUT 90 TRILLION WHICH IS ABOUT 70 THAT IS COMING FROM THE FINANCIAL SECTORS.

AND COMPANIES.

SO KOREAN BANKING FINANCIAL GROUP IS COMMITTING VERY MUCH TO GREEN FINANCE.

SO KOREAN BANKING SYSTEMS IN KOREAN BANKING SECTOR IS ARE GOING TO PLAY A KIND OF CHANGE ROLE IN RESHAPING KOREAN ECONOMIES.

>> HOW TO YOU AS A COUNTRY DEAL WITH CLIMATE CHANGE THAT IS HAPPENING BECAUSE OF WHAT THE WHOLE PLANET IS DOING?

AND ASIA TAKES A DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT OF THE PAIN.

COUNTRIES ALONG THE ASIAN WATERWAYS WHETHER IT IS BANGLADESH OR EVEN KOREA.

WHEN YOU GO TO WAY WORLD BODY LIKE THE UNITED NATIONS WHAT ARE YOU ASKING FOR BECAUSE YOU HAVE AN ISLAND THAT IS LOSING IT LAND.

>> IS A TRAGIC THING TO WATCH THAT SINKING ISLAND.

SO IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE SO- CALLED HISTORIC RESPONSIBILITY THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES SHOULD DO MORE TO SUPPORT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES INCLUDING SMALLER ISLANDS AND COUNTRIES AND KOREA.

>> ARE YOU A DEVELOPING COUNTRY OR A DEVELOPED COUNTRY?

>> WE USE TO INTEGRATE THAT KIND OF DAY ON MAY >> KOREA IS NOT GOING TO JOIN THE KIND OF SO-CALLED G7 CLUB.

KOREA HAS JOINED THE OTHER CLIMATE CLUB THAT WAS INITIATED BY THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT WHICH IS CLIMATE AMBITION ALLIANCE SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

WHICH MEANS KOREA WANTS TO PLAY ITS ROLE AS A KIND OF NEWLY DEVELOPED COUNTRY.

THIS LOGO OF OUR COMMISSION IS FIRST KOREA.

IT IS NOT LIKE AMERICA FIRST.

IT MEANS NOW KOREA SHOULD BE A COUNTRY THAT'LL DEVELOP AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN SERVE THE INTERESTS AND NOT JUST THE INTEREST OF KOREAN PEOPLE BUT ALSO FOR THE HUMANITY AND THAT IS THE CONCEPT OF FIRST KOREA.

SERVE THE INTERESTS?

THAT IS THE NEW CONCEPT DEVELOPED.

KOREA IS TRYING TO HOST THE WORLD EXPO IN 2030 AND HE SAID WHEN HE MADE A PRESENTATION IN PARIS THAT KOREA WILL DEVELOP ITS CAPACITY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS HUMANITY IS FACING TODAY.

WHICH INCLUDES CLIMATE CHANGE ET CETERA SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

THE GLOBAL COMMON PROBLEMS.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.