• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.153-174
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• 2019

South Korea's energy policy has been historically established through an energy production structure that relies on thermal and nuclear power generation in relation to a centralized 'Hard Energy System'. However, climate change issues are forcing the transition to renewable energy, and it is crucial for local governments to enable this. This study analyses Seoul city's local energy governance, which is known as One Less Nuclear Power Plant Initiative, by applying the collaborative governance framework inspired by Ansell and Gash (2008) and the Reflexivity framework of Confucianism. It is considered that the local energy governance model of Seoul city can be used as a model by other local governments, and it will eventually lead to a decentralized energy system in this era of energy transition.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.60-72
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• 2022

The environmental, social, and governance (ESG) score is gaining recognition as important nonfinancial investment criteria. With climate change emerging as a global issue, energy companies must pay attention to the ESG impact on corporate performance. In this study, the ESG impact on the performance of energy companies was analyzed based on 23 companies selected from the S&P 500. The panel corrected standard error methodology was used. The Refinitiv ESG score was the independent variable, and financial performance metrics, such as Tobin's Q, return on assets, and return on equity, were the dependent variables. It was found that the ESG score is positively associated with long-term corporate value but not with short-term profitability in the electricity utility industry. Among the subcategories of ESG, the environmental and social scores also showed positive correlations with long-term corporate value. A direct incentive policy is recommended that can offset expenses for ESG activities to reduce carbon emission in the energy sector.

• Korean Journal of Legislative Studies
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.151-185
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• 2017

Seoul's One Less Nuclear Power Plant is the major urban energy policy launched in April 2012. Its effort to respond to climate change and energy crisis in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear accident turned out very successful, considering huge decrease of energy consumption. However, the question of how the cut of energy consumption was possible remains unanswered. This paper introduces the concept of urban governance capacity as the cause of the success. It is the managing and governing capability to maintain the logical consistency policy system, comprising of policy perception, goals, policy tools and evaluation. Without this logical correspondence between the policy factors, any system including energy regime easily falls apart during the systemic transitional period. Governance capacity provides the integrating framework, so that the system as a whole maintains the internal homeostasis.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.81-94
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to find ways to build a desirable risk governance to respond to these uncertainties like such as increased risk due to the rapid development of modern science and technology in S. Korea. This study is about model of risk communication with scientific technology for additional construction of nuclear power plants. This study analyzed risk communication with scientific technology through new explanatory models between approval opinions of scientific professional group and opposition opinions of the public with Kori nuclear power plant of S. Korea. And then This study investigated related system for policy promotion in the field of nuclear energy of the current S. Korea. Consequently, Governance to strengthen the negotiations on nuclear technology at the time of the interaction in risk communication have been identified and the future of policy direction of the Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plant was detected.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.87-103
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• 2019

In December 2017, the Moon Jae-in administration announced a major policy shift away from nuclear and coal, committing itself to the vision of creating a society where renewable sources account for 20% of its electricity generation by 2030. This energy transition involves not just a technical transition from conventional energy sources to renewable energy but also active participation of multiple stakeholders in the energy governance. While energy policy making has long been dominated by the central government in Korea with the aim of managing the supply for rapid industrialization and economic growth, the Moon administration aims to diffuse the central government's authority across various actors in society. Among those actors, this study focuses on the roles that local governments play in energy transition. Despite deepening local autonomy since 1995, Korean local governments have remained policy targets or recipients in the energy policy domain. This article discusses how such a traditional role has evolved under the new administration's energy transition policy and examines what challenges and limitations local governments face in creating a more decentralized energy governance system.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.1696-1707
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• 2019

This paper conducts a qualitative policy analysis of current challenges to safety culture and security culture in Southeast Asia and emerging best practices in Northeast Asia that are aimed at strengthening both cultures. It analyses lessons, including strengths and limitations, that can be derived from Northeast Asian states, given the long history of nuclear energy in South Korea, China and Japan. It identifies and examines best practices from Northeast Asia's Nuclear Security Centres of Excellence in terms of boosting nuclear security culture and their relevance for Southeast Asia. The paper accentuates the important role of the State in adopting policy and regulatory frameworks and in institutionalising nuclear education and training programmes to deepen the safety-security cultures. Best practices in and challenges to developing a nuclear safety culture and a security culture in East Asia are examined using three frameworks of analysis (i) a comprehensive nuclear policy framework; (ii) a proactive and independent regulatory body; and (iii) holistic nuclear education and training programmes. The paper argues that Southeast Asian states interested in harnessing nuclear energy and/or utilising radioactive sources for non-power applications must develop a comprehensive policy framework on developing safety and security cultures, a proactive regulatory body, and holistic nuclear training programmes that cover both technical and human factors. Such measures are crucial in order to mitigate human errors that may lead to radiological accidents and nuclear security crises. Key lessons from Japan, South Korea and China such as best practices and challenges can inform policy recommendations for Southeast Asia in enhancing safety-security cultures.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.267-277
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• 2011

The study looks at the development of new & renewable technology in a latecomer country, Korea. The main question is whether the development is driven by 'green demand' from the people or by the 'growth demand' from the industry. It also asks what are the characteristics of socio-technical constituency behind the development of new & renewable energy technology; growth-centered or environment-centered. It is found out that a 'New & renewable energy technology socio-techical constituency', consisted of NGOs, industry and government in the form of membership to New & Renwable Energy Policy Council of the government program, was established driving the development of new & renewable energy technology development in Korea. Yet, the coalition among them was based on 'the desire for growth' rather than 'the concern for environment'. The changes in authoritarian development state such as the adoption of governance approach to public decision-making process also contributed to the formation of the constituency.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.3-43
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• 2015

This essay aims to search for the general tendency and characteristics of scientific citizenship, expert knowledge power, and governance in Korea, followed by the analysis of the citizen's perception survey on science and technology. Also, based on the analysis, we try to outline the state of scientific citizenship, and prospect its future. For this purpose, firstly, we choose 11 issues among 13 issues, categorize them into five sub-fields, such as reproduction technologies, nuclear power, climate change and energy, food risk, and information and communication, and analyze them. Consequently, we can pick out six general tendencies and characteristics of scientific citizenship, expert knowledge power, and governance in Korea. To sum up, we try to look ahead the future of scientific citizenship in Korea.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society for Energy Engineering kosee Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.253-258
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• 2008

우리나라에서 원자력 시설의 안전 확보를 위한 현장 규제는 원전 부지내에 설치되어 운용되고 있는 주재관실과 방사능 재난 발생에 대응하기 위한 현장방사능방재지휘센터 등으로 분산되어 있다. 원유 고유가, 에너지 안보, 및 기후 변화 협약 등에 대한 대응책으로, 신규 원자력 시설의 건설이 진행 중에 있으며, 이에 따라 원자력 규제 대상이 증가하고 있다. 지역주민이 신뢰하는 원자력 시설의 안전 규제의 필요성에 따라 현장 규제의 업무량도 증가하고 현장 규제 요건도 강화되고 있는 추세이다. 분산되어 있는 원자력 안전규제 시스템을 통합적인 체계로 전환하기 위한 방안들 가운데, 이 연구에서는 규제의 효율성/효과성을 향상시키기 위해 원자력 안전 지역사무소의 설치가 고려되었다. 이 연구의 주요 목적은 시스템 다이내믹스 기법을 활용한 지역사무소 설치의 타당성 모델을 제시하는 것이다. 이 SD 모델을 통해 지역사무소 설치가 규제 효과성을 포함한 다른 변수들에 미치는 영향을 전체론적 (holistic) 관점에서 평가할 수 있다. 이 SD 모델에서 이해관계자 (예: 중앙행정기관, 규제기관, 지방자지단체, NGO, 국민 등) 각각의 우선적인 목표는 갈등적 다중목표가 된다. 이러한 다중목표는 원자력 안전 규제의 의사결정 단계에서 거버넌스(governance) 체제 (예: 규제 기관, 사업자, 지역주민 등이 참여하는 체제)의 구축, 원자력 관련 민원 해결을 통해 성취될 수 있다. 시스템 다이내믹스 접근법의 주요 변수 정의 단계에서는 다양한 관점의 상호영향을 고려하면서 지역사무소 설치에 필요한 기본 개념이 도출되었다. 시스템 다이내믹스 접근법의 모델링 단계에서는 이들 기본 개념에서부터 지역사무소 설치 타당성 정책의 인과 지도(causal map)가 작성되었다. 이러한 인과 지도들로부터 지역사무소의 설치 타당성으로 이끄는 다양한 자기-강화 (self-reinforcing) 루프들이 발견되었다.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.647-669
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• 2013

Depletion of fossil fuels and sharp rise of international oil price as well as climate worming and frequent environmental disasters have required to strengthen resource(esp. energy) and environmental policy and discourse. And hence highly influential discourses and policies such as the concept of sustainable development and strategy for carbon regulation have been developed and pursued world-widely. But these concept and strategy have seemed to be subsumed in the process of neoliberalism, so as to have little effective results. This leads us to energy transition and energy autonomy or autarky as alternative strategic and normative concepts. Daegu has shown strong interests in urban energy problems relatively earlier than other cities, and developed the so-call 'Solar City' project. But it could not properly tackled with the problems, while tending to meet with the global imperatives. This paper considers urban energy problems and energy policy of Daegu with its significance and limitations, and suggests 4 principles for urban energy transition and autonomy with some concrete alternative measures; that is, the transition from fossil and nuclear energy to renewable energy, the transition from supply-led policy to demand side focusing policy, the transition from central governing energy system to locally distributed one, and the transition from market-dependent management to citizen-participatory energy governance.