On the 22nd, Minister of Environment Kim Seong-hwan stated that the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning discussed the plan to change to the Ministry of Climate, Environment, and Energy and the proposal to establish a Ministry of Climate and Energy.
Minister Kim said at his first press conference at the Government Sejong Center that there was a presidential promise regarding the restructuring and that the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning discussed options 1 and 2.
According to Minister Kim, the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning is reviewing changing the Ministry of Environment to the provisional name Ministry of Climate, Environment, and Energy by attaching the second vice-minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Office of the Vice Minister of Energy, or establishing a separate Ministry of Climate and Energy by combining the Climate Policy Division of the Ministry of Environment with the Office of the Vice Minister of Energy.
He noted that "the finalized proposal has not been established, but there is no plan for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to remain as it is." This means, in some way, that the energy department in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will be separated and merged with the Ministry of Environment.
Minister Kim said he plans to request that the government define its policy as soon as possible, noting that this is necessary to resolve the instability arising from the restructuring.
Minister Kim clarified that the Ministry of Environment is not a regulatory agency. He remarked that "the Ministry of Environment is at the center of transitioning to a decarbonized society" and added that "it should be a leading organization toward a decarbonized green civilization." He also stated that "the Ministry (of Environment) must exemplarily engage in efforts to no longer destroy nature and to transition to a circular economy system under current conditions."
He mentioned that the goal of net-zero (carbon neutrality) by 2050 is too lenient, stating, "We need to reduce (carbon emissions) in all areas, and the key is to fundamentally reduce fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and liquefied natural gas (LNG)."
He continued, "When I checked how many employees in the Ministry of Environment drive electric cars, it didn't exceed the average level of the general public (3%)," adding, "So net-zero is just a rhetorical flourish." Minister Kim emphasized that "to change the world, those involved must be desperate" and that "civil servants in the Ministry of Environment must convert to electric cars before anyone else."
Regarding policies aimed at promoting electric vehicle consumption, Minister Kim noted that "for those who want to protect internal combustion vehicles, this may seem like regulation," but cautioned that "if we do not change, everything will fail, factories will close, and unemployment will rise." He stated that "in the era of coal, coal power plants were once an industry" and added that "we cannot protect that industry now."
Minister Kim stated, "To focus on renewable energy while supporting nuclear energy and transition to a green economy, we need to nurture new industries." He further added that "it is the responsibility of divisions such as the Carbon Policy Division of the Ministry of Environment to cultivate new industrial sectors that do not rely on carbon and to create a new civilizational system."