Assessment of the enhanced nationally determined contributions of the Republic of Korea and the strategies for the 2050 net-zero target

The Republic of Korea has made a net-zero pledge and submitted enhanced nationally determined contributions (NDCs), targeting a 40 per cent reduction in gashouse emissions by 2030 compared to 2018 levels. This article provides a review of the country’s mitigation progress by evaluating its NDCs and 2050 net-zero commitments. Three key challenges are identified: limited time window to meet the targets; energy transition difficulties; transforming carbon-intensive industries. A SWOT analysis informs strategic directions in four areas: accelerating low-carbon transitions in key sectors; enhancing mitigation policy effectiveness in building stakeholder consensus on transition costs; bolstering international cooperation for carbon neutrality.