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Country report
Mar 2023
Strategies for Coal Transition in Korea
…on Korea’s clean energy transition from coal in the power sector. The report covers a detailed review of policy and market developments around Korea’s transition to net zero. The scope of the report includes all sectors of the economy, industry and all the regions across the world, where we extract the main recommendations that are applicable to the case of Korea.Currently, the power sector is the largest CO2-emitting sector and coal is the single biggest source of CO2 emissions, as it is the backbone of many electricity systems. Thus, coal power plants have been a target…
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Country report
Nov 2020
Korea 2020
Energy Policy Review The International Energy Agency (IEA) regularly conducts in-depth peer reviews of the energy policies of its member countries. This process supports energy policy development and encourages the exchange of international best practices.
The Korean government is committed to substantially increasing the share of renewable energy sources in the electricity supply, gradually phasing out coal and nuclear power from the energy mix, significantly improving energy efficiency, and fostering the country’s nascent hydrogen industry. Many of these measures will help Korea advance its energy transition and improve its energy security, a high priority given the country’s…
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Country report
Jun 2002
Energy Policies of IEA Countries: Republic of Korea 2002
…review of Korea's energy policies and programmes. This report comes at a time when Korea has become the 26th Member of the IEA and when the country’s energy policies are being substantially reformed, to mobilise investments and increase efficiency.
The report brings information on all energy sectors (oil, gas, coal, nuclear, electricity, renewables) showing what role different energy sources could play in the context of a heavily dependency on external sources of energy.
The report analyses the effect of efficiency measures to reduce the energy intensity of the Korean economy, still one of the highest of the IEA… -
Article
07 Mar 2023
Korea Electricity Security Policy
Country Energy Security Policy - Electricity Overview and generation portfolio Electricity generation in Korea is heavily dependent on coal, which represents over 40% of total generation. The vast majority of the remaining electricity generation derives from natural gas and nuclear energy, in roughly equal shares. Renewable energies account for a growing but still small proportion, and are expected to reach 21.6% of total electricity generation by 2030. Korea’s power grid is an isolated system with no cross-border transmission lines; therefore, electricity demand is met entirely through local production. Korea has an electricity emergency response manual outlining response procedures…
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Article
07 Mar 2023
Korea Natural Gas Security Policy
…publicly-owned natural gas company established by the Korean government. KOGAS holds emergency gas reserves which can be released to meet demand when supply is constrained while demand restraint measures and fuel switching can be utilised once emergency stocks reach low levels.Natural gas accounts for a significant proportion of Korea’s energy mix with consumption on an upward trajectory for over two decades. Gas consumption is set to grow further due to government plans to increase gas-fired power generation as a partial replacement for coal. With limited domestic reserves, the vast majority of Korea’s gas consumption is…
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Country report
Dec 2021
Reforming Korea's Electricity Market for Net Zero
The study analyses market design improvements to enable achieving net zero in Korea's power sector, in accordance with the country's long-term decarbonisation objectives. This report was commissioned by Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and carried out jointly by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Korea Energy Economics Institute. The objective of the study was to analyse market design improvements to enable achieving net zero in Korea's power sector, in accordance with the country's long-term decarbonisation objectives.For this the IEA devised a Korea Regional Power System Model to evaluate the…
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Country report
Jun 2007
Energy Policies of IEA Countries: The Republic of Korea 2006
Energy Policy Review Energy Policies of IEA Countries: The Republic of Korea 2006 The great strides that the Republic of Korea has made over the last three decades are not confined to its economy. Its energy industry has similarly leapt forward in terms of infrastructure and security. Though it has no links to nearby countries that would allow it to rely on electricity imports or piped natural gas, the country has rapidly electrified, built a diverse portfolio of electricity supply, developed a robust nuclear energy industry and become one of the pioneers in the liquefied natural gas trade. As the…
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Country report
Nov 2025
Korea 2025
Energy Policy Review Government action plays a pivotal role in ensuring secure and sustainable energy transitions. Energy policy is critical not just for the energy sector but also for meeting environmental, economic and social goals. Governments need to respond to their country’s specific needs, adapt to regional contexts and help address global challenges. In this context, the International Energy Agency (IEA) conducts Energy Policy Reviews to support governments in developing more impactful energy and climate policies.This Energy Policy Review was prepared in partnership between the Government of Korea and the IEA. It draws on the IEA’s extensive…
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Country report
Apr 2024
Natural Gas Supply Security in Korea
Insights from the 2022 Gas Supply Shock This report was commissioned by the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI) and carried out jointly by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the KEEI. The objective of the study was to provide high-level policy recommendations on natural gas security of supply in Korea, particularly within the context of the global gas supply shock that emerged in 2022. The report covers an analysis of the natural gas supply shock in question, a detailed review of the Korean natural gas market and recommendations applicable to the Korean market.
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Fuel report
Mar 2017
Oil Market Report - March 2017
The IEA Oil Market Report (OMR) is one of the world’s most authoritative and timely sources of data, forecasts and analysis on the global oil market – including detailed statistics and commentary on oil supply, demand, inventories, prices and refining activity, as well as oil trade for IEA and selected non-IEA countries. Highlights Having expanded by 1.6 mb/d in 2016, global oil product demand growth is expected to ease back to 1.4 mb/d in 2017. Early indicators of 1Q17 demand support this, with slowdowns seen in January in Japan, Germany, Korea and India.Global oil supplies rose 260 kb…