By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok attended the opening ceremony of the 2025 Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Global Cooperation Conference, hosted by the Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth Committee, on August 22 in Seoul.

The event was attended by over 150 participants, including ambassadors and diplomatic corps members from 78 countries, representatives of international climate-related organizations, businesses, and civil society figures.

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Kim emphasized that the Lee Jae-myung administration will achieve both carbon neutrality and economic growth through an energy transition, including expanding renewable energy, creating RE100-dedicated industrial complexes, and constructing an energy highway across the Korean Peninsula.

He also stated that South Korea will work closely with the international community to promote global green transition based on green official development assistance (ODA) and contributions to international organizations.

Prior to the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Kim held talks with ambassadors from 25 countries, including Brazil, Italy, Malaysia, and Turkiye, stating that he is thoroughly preparing for the successful hosting of the APEC Summit at the end of October and that he will strengthen cooperative relations with the diplomatic corps in Korea in various fields, including economic and cultural exchanges and climate crisis response.

Prime Minister Kim then visited the promotional booths of domestic climate tech companies, encouraging the business leaders and pledging to actively support the overseas expansion of Korean companies.

This conference was attended by experts from the Korean government, embassies in Korea, international organizations, business associations, and research institutes, who will share their countries' major policies and best practices through presentations and discussions on topics such as greenhouse gas reduction and the 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), climate tech and global cooperation, and clean energy cooperation, and discuss ways to promote international cooperation for carbon neutrality.

The Carbon Neutrality Committee is a public-private joint governance body established to support the transition to a carbon-neutral society by 2050 and the promotion of green growth.

By hosting this conference in close collaboration with relevant government agencies and diplomatic missions, the committee is seen as providing a valuable opportunity to urge the international community to unite in responding to the climate crisis and to demonstrate the Korean government's global leadership.