The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on Oct. 17 that it held the "2025 fourth joint government briefing session" at the Daejeon Intercity Hotel in collaboration with related agencies, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and the Korea Customs Service, to strengthen capacity to respond to the European Union's carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM).
The briefing covered: ▲ an in-depth analysis of CBAM rules, ▲ methods for calculating carbon emissions, ▲ how to complete reporting forms, ▲ best practices in responding to CBAM, and ▲ outcomes of related support programs.
In the "in-depth analysis of CBAM rules," officials guided how Korean corporations' response methods will change under the recently revised CBAM regulations. In the "best practices in responding to CBAM" segment, a small and medium-sized enterprise exporting to the EU presented its current response to CBAM, including the corporation's method for calculating carbon emissions, and proposed introducing emissions automatic-calculation software (S/W) as a future response strategy.
In addition to the joint briefing sessions, the government is supporting Korean corporations in responding to the carbon border adjustment mechanism. Last month, it conducted a hands-on program over four sessions in which employees of small and medium-sized enterprises directly calculated carbon emissions, and it is also operating consulting services that visit corporations' production sites to calculate emissions for CBAM-covered products, as well as a corporations-only help desk.
Park Yong-sun, director-general for Technology Innovation Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "The government will actively resolve the difficulties that arise as Korean corporations respond to the carbon border adjustment mechanism and will expand and strengthen support so they can effectively prepare for global environmental regulations," adding, "We hope Korean corporations will actively use the government's support programs to strengthen their carbon-reduction capabilities, secure competitiveness with foreign corporations, and view the carbon border adjustment mechanism not as a regulation but as a growth opportunity."
Going forward, the government will monitor developments on the EU side, including the release of subordinate legislation, and will continue consultations with the EU to find ways to ease the burden on Korean corporations. At the same time, it will continue efforts to strengthen corporations' own response capabilities.