This archive gathers solutions-journalism stories and progress milestones from South Korea — covering health, technology, environment, social policy, and more. Each entry highlights real developments where people, organizations, or governments are making measurable progress.
The solar project on the 17-mile-long reservoir in Hapcheon is able to generate 41.5 megawatts, enough to provide power for 60,000 people more than the total population of the county.
The amendment will make South Korea one of a handful of countries to recognize animals as beings, with a right to protection, enhanced welfare and respect for life.
The confirmation follows pressure from a network of civic groups named Korea Beyond Coal, which has advocated for a complete coal phase-out in Korea by 2030.
The South Korean Forest Service is planning to make a massive contribution to World Economic Forum’s global initiative the Tree Trillion campaign that aims to plant one trillion trees by 2030.
Offshore wind is about to get a new heavyweight: South Korea is investing $43 billion to build what would become the world’s largest offshore wind farm, planted in the shallow, breezy waters of the country’s Southwest Sea. The plan is remarkable not just for its scale but for how it came together. Local fishing leaders representing around 200 vessels — many initially opposed — signed on after winning compensation and equity stakes in the project itself. One cooperative leader who fought the plan now calls it something to work with, not against. For a mountainous country with little room for sprawling land-based renewables, this is a real path to displacing coal — and a template other coastal nations chasing net-zero will be watching closely.
The breakthrough, developed by Korean scientists, is likely to revolutionize testing as existing methods are not only inaccurate but can result in over-diagnosis and necessitate invasive biopsies.
In a policy speech in the national assembly South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in said that South Korea, one of the world’s most fossil fuel-reliant economies, would “actively respond” to the climate emergency “with the international community and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050”.
Seoul, South Korea, is taking a step toward vehicle electrification with a new plan to phase out diesel vehicles from its public fleets by 2025, including mass transit fleets.
The five-year, $61 billion initiative calls for zero-energy public facilities and is expected to create 660,000 new jobs and reducing GHG by 12 million tons.
226 local government leaders across South Korea have declared a climate emergency. Their declaration emphasizes the roles and responsibilities local governments have in tackling climate change, noting that local governments are the ones who often make the first move in response to climate change impacts.
