• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.115-129
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• 2023

This study compares and analyzes domestic and international carbon prices through CPS, which represents the level of carbon pricing. The results show that countries implementing carbon taxes had lower carbon intensity compared to those that did not. The introduction of a carbon tax is expected to enhance energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. As the carbon price rises to the level required for carbon neutrality, CPS decreases significantly, particularly in the residential and commercial sectors. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a carbon tax in the country to reach the required carbon price level for carbon neutrality, with a priority on introducing it in the residential and commercial sectors.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.577-612
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• 2017

In response to climate change, Korea is attempting to shift the paradigm of energy and climate change policies by introducing carbon pricing based on market mechanisms. While policy adoption is proceeding at a rapid pace, the introduction of carbon pricing has been faced with great opposition from industry. This study measures to what extent Korean companies understand and accept carbon pricing, using data from a questionnaire survey covering energy consuming companies in 2012, when discussions between the government and such companies about the introduction of a domestic emission trading system were active. It further identifies how preparations and practices for carbon and energy management of companies correlate with their policy understanding and acceptance. The analysis results show that the surveyed companies indicate moderate understanding of, as well as resistance to carbon pricing policies, while appreciating the economic incentives and accepting the mandatory regulations in this phase. Companies' understanding is more related to characteristics, i.e., sector, size, etc. than external pressures. This study found that the extent to which companies understand policy is the essential factor in their policy acceptance and related practices. In particular, understanding of carbon policy significantly influences their managerial practices and voluntary activities for carbon and energy practices. This study substantiates the correlation between the level of policy understanding of a company and its carbon and energy practices - something that all countries seeking to introduce carbon pricing in response to climate change should consider prior to policy actually being implemented; in other words, enhancing the understanding of major policy subjects of the new instrument is a key policy strategy that should be elaborated as it will lead to better performance of companies and smoother policy implementation.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.101-131
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• 2015

A cap-and-trade program accounting for 60 percent of total national greenhouse gas emissions was launched in South Korea in 2015. Academic literature expects that the implementation of such a policy is likely to adversely impact income distribution among various socioeconomic groups in developed countries. South Korea is challenged by equity issues, as well circumstances, the distributional implications of carbon pricing policies need to be examined and reflected in the design of the program prior to implementation in order not to exacerbate social inequity. Using environmentally extended input-output analysis together with household expenditure data, this study finds that a carbon pricing policy will be regressive in South Korea, but the extent depends on whether relative burdens of a carbon pricing policy are measured based on current incomes or proxies of permanent incomes. Along with poor households, this paper finds that elderly and urban households will be more adversely impacted in South Korea. These burdens can be relieved if a small fraction of the revenue is redistributed to households.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.1-20
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• 2023

Carbon pricing is in the spotlight as an economically efficient policy to limit global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We examine how policymakers can improve social acceptance of a carbon tax, which is the main obstacle in implementing the policy. We conduct a survey experiment to analyze this topic and adopt two different interventions focusing on the use of revenue from a carbon tax and types of information to be provided. Regarding revenue use, we consider 1) tax reductions, 2) lump-sum transfers, and 3) green project investments. For information types, we focus on 1) the economic value of a carbon tax, and 2) the environmental value of a carbon tax. We find that lump-sum transfers have negative impacts on social acceptance of a carbon tax. For those who perceive climate change as a serious issue, moreover, both lump-sum transfers and tax reductions have negative impacts on acceptability. Regardless of the type of information provided, on the other hand, the social acceptance of a carbon tax is increased after the provision of information. Furthermore, the impact of information provision on the social acceptance interacts with the revenue use impacts. When the revenue use and the type of information are consistent with the aim of the policy, the effects of these strategies can be amplified.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.1038-1045
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• 2017

To address mounting concerns over global warming, the Paris Agreement was reached in December 2015, which aims to limit the increase in global average temperature. South Korea has set a highly ambitious target to reduce emissions and submitted an Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC). Based on the INDC, we investigated the impact of limiting carbon emissions on the power system and the electricity market in Korea. Through detailed simulations on assumed plausible scenarios, this work highlights a) the effects of different carbon emission targets on the annual carbon emission volumes, generation costs, and carbon price; b) the generation mix changes induced by carbon emission limits; and c) the difference in system marginal price and payments for generator owners that carbon emission constraint creates in electricity markets under three different pricing rules.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.1-15
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• 2010

This paper makes the case that a new policy strategy to enhance a global green recovery is needed urgently. The new strategy requires two essential elements. First, G20 economies should follow the lead of South Korea and China and turn their green stimulus investments into a serious long-term commitment, and to support these investments, they should adopt environmental pricing policies and instigate pricing and regulatory reforms to reduce carbon dependency. Second, the G20 also needs to target and coordinate assistance to developing economies in science, technology and innovation (STI) for clean energy. Such assistance is essential to help developing economies to overcome the skills, technological and capital gap that they face in clean energy technologies over the long term. Reform of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is also necessary to establish a long-term global price signal for carbon, and to increase the coverage of developing economies, the sectors and technologies and the overall financing of clean energy projects. Formulating such a policy strategy should appeal to both the Asian-Pacific and Western economies comprising the G20, and by working together to formulate such a strategy, the G20 could lead the way toward a new era of global economic management and STI cooperation in clean energy.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.185-191
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• 2016

Since 2013, the forest carbon offest scheme is operated by 'ACT ON THE MANAGEMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF CARBON SINK'. Most of projects account for afforestation, reforestation and restoration. This study analyzed what is affected to pricing factors for the registered 71 project of forest carbon offset in Korea Forest Service. The purpose of this study is to introduce information on the business plans of forest carbon offset scheme and aid to understand the process from registration to issuing offset credits. Also it is meaningful to proposing a policy for price competitiveness and how to enable forest carbon offset schemes to produce activation by measuring the factors that affect the forest carbon offset scheme. The results showed forest carbon credit price is 92,827 won per ton on average, it could see less price-competitive than emission rights market when compared with the price.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.45-64
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• 2022

Purpose - This paper examines South Korea's potential status as a carbon leakage country, and the level of risk posed by the Korean emissions trading scheme (ETS) for Korean industries. The economic effects of border carbon adjustments (BCAs) to protect energy-intensive Korean industries in the process of achieving the carbon reduction target by 2030 through the Korean ETS are also analyzed. Design/methodology - First, using the Korean Input-Output (IO) table, this paper calculates the balance of emissions embodied in trade (BEET) and the pollution terms of trade (PTT) to determine Korean industries' carbon leakage status. Analyses of the risk level posed by carbon reduction policy implementation in international trade are conducted for some sectors by applying the EU criteria. Second, using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, three BCA scenarios, exemption regulations (EXE), reimbursement (REB), and tariff reduction (TAR) to protect the energy-intensive industries under the Korean ETS are addressed. Compared to the baseline scenario of achieving carbon reduction targets by 2030, the effects of BCAs on welfare, carbon leakage, outputs, and trading are analyzed. Findings - As Korea's industrial structure has been transitioning from a carbon importing to a carbon leaking country. The results indicate that some industrial sectors could face the risk of losing international competitiveness due to the Korean ETS. South Korea's industries are basically exposed to risk of carbon leakage because most industries have a trade intensity higher than 30%. This could be interpreted as disproving vulnerability to carbon leakage. Although the petroleum and coal sector is not in carbon leakage, according to BEET and PTT, the Korean ETS exposes this sector to a high risk of carbon leakage. Non-metallic minerals and iron and steel sectors are also exposed to a high risk of carbon leakage due to the increased burden of carbon reduction costs embodied in the Korean ETS, despite relatively low levels of trade intensity. BCAs are demonstrated to have an influential role in protecting energy-intensive industries while achieving the carbon reduction target by 2030. The EXE scenario has the greatest impact on mitigation of welfare losses and carbon leakage, and the TAF scenario causes a disturbance in the international trade market because of the pricing adjustment system. In reality, the EXE scenario, which implies completely exempting energy-intensive industries, could be difficult to implement due to various practical constraints, such as equity and reduction targets and other industries; therefore, the REB scenario presents the most realistic approach and appears to have an effect that could compensate for the burden of economic activities and emissions regulations in these industries. Originality/value - This paper confirms the vulnerability of the Korean industrial the risk of carbon leakage, demonstrating that some industrial sectors could be exposed to losing international competitiveness by implementing carbon reduction policies such as the Korean ETS. The contribution of this paper is the identification of proposed approaches to protect Korean industries in the process of achieving the 2030 reduction target by analyzing the effects of BCA scenarios using a CGE model.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.61-98
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• 2011

This study conducts economic evaluation of alternatives for $CO_2$ reduction of thermal power plants. Two alternatives in reducing $CO_2$ emission are considered for the evaluation under the RPS(Renewable Portfolio Standard) system; one is to perform renewable energy quotas and another is to construct green thermal power plants using CCS(Carbon Capture and Sequestration). As evaluation methods, DCF(Discount Cash Flow) and ROPM(Real Options Pricing Method) are employed. At a discount rate of 7.5% applied to the Electricity Supply and Demand Plan, it is shown that green thermal power generation has economic dominance under both evaluation methods.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.667-694
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• 2018

We analyze the learning-by-doing effects of the allowance pricing system on the Korea's emission trading scheme. The price of allowance (Korean Allowance Unit) is influenced differently by internal market factors and economic conditions variables in the first (January 2015 to June 2016 ) and the second commitment year(January 2016 to June 2017). The prices and transaction volumes of complementary credits (KCU and KOC) as well as economic conditions variables (such as call rate, exchange rate, stock price) are statistically significant only for the second commitment year. Thus, the learning-by-doing effect makes the market participation decision on K-ETS market more efficient in the second commitment year, adopting the previous experience and knowledge in the K-ETS market. The factors estimated significantly in both commitment periods include the institutional binary variable for requiring the submission of the emissions verification reports issued both on February and March.