• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.305-318
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• 2023

Purpose - This study analyzed the decoupling phenomenon between energy consumption and economic growth in Korea from 1990 to 2021. The main purpose of this study is to suggest policy implications for achieving a low-carbon society and decoupling that Korea must move forward in the face of the climate change crisis. Design/methodology/approach - This study investigated the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth by energy source and sector using the energy-EKC (EEKC) hypothesis which included the energy consumption on the traditional Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), and the impulse response function (IRF) model based on Bayesian vector auto-regression (BVAR). Findings - During the analysis period, the trend of decoupling of energy consumption and economic growth in Korea is confirmed starting from 1996. However, the decoupling tendency appeared differently depending on the differences in energy consumption by sources and fields. The results of the IRF model using data on energy consumption by source showed that the impact of GDP and renewable energy consumption resulted in an increase in energy consumption of bio and waste, but a decrease in energy consumption by sources, and the impact of trade dependence was found to increase the consumption of petroleum products. Research implications or Originality - According to the main results, efficient distribution by existing energy source is required through expansion of development of not only renewable energy but also alternative energy. Additionally, in order to increase the effectiveness of existing energy policies to achieve carbon neutrality, more detailed strategies by source and sector of energy consumption are needed.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.81-100
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• 2010

This paper measures the impacts of the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on the emissions of carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) in Korean export industries. The Korean industrial exports were forecasted by employing Bayesian Kalman Filter Vector Auto-Regression (BVAR) model. The emissions of $CO_2$ were then estimated by applying the $CO_2$ emission coeffcients on the conditionally forecasted values of export by industries. Under the conditional scenario of the 50% reduction in current tariff rate through FTA between Korea and China, the total $CO_2$ emissions in Korea were expected to increase by 1.96% compared to the BAU (Non FT A) trend at the end of 2010. Another conditional scenario with no tariff after 2012 was also adopted. In this case, the total $CO_2$ emlssions were estimated to increase by 2.06% compared to the BAU up until the end of 2014. These facts imply that the FTA between Korea and China would not result in the significant increase of $CO_2$ emissions in Korea.