Seoul to stay committed to Paris climate pact through Trump’s 2nd term

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration will uphold its commitment to the Paris Climate Accord throughout Donald Trump’s second term, despite mounting global concerns that the US president-elect may once again withdraw his country from the agreement, according to the Environment Ministry.

Son Ok-ju, deputy minister of the Environment Ministry’s Planning and Coordination Office, stated, “Even with the Trump administration’s stance toward the Paris Agreement, the international order will continue to move toward addressing the climate crisis under the Paris Agreement."

“The international commitment to fulfilling the goals of the Paris Agreement will continue, even if President-elect Trump withdraws from the accord after his inauguration," Son said at the ministry’s press briefing on Thursday about the current Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s achievements and plans in the environment sector at Government Complex Sejong.

Trump is to be inaugurated for a second nonconsecutive term as US president on Jan. 20, 2025.

Son further explained that although the Trump administration withdrew from the Paris Agreement during its first term, most policy implementation within the US happens at the state level, "limiting the practical impact" of the withdrawal.

“The European Union, however, continues to impose tariffs on imports from countries that fail to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Son added.

Trump officially withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement in 2020 during his first term, but the country rejoined the accord in 2021 under President Joe Biden.

Last week, The New York Times reported that US President-elect Trump's transition team has prepared an executive order to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement once again.

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty adopted in December 2015 in Paris, aiming to address climate change by limiting the increase of global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, 195 signatory countries are part of the agreement, including South Korea and the US.

The Nationally Determined Contributions are a key part of the Paris Agreement, which embodies efforts that each country must make to reduce national carbon emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Son pledged that the government will continue to do whatever it can to minimize the impacts of climate change by first submitting Korea’s NDCs by February 2025.

The Yoon government also plans to launch an interagency cooperation body, known as the “Climate Crisis Response Unit,” to identify new carbon neutrality tasks and collaborate with relevant ministries to respond to the climate crisis and conduct prior research before establishing environmental policies.

Adding that the climate crisis can cause greater harm to low-income groups and the elderly, Son said the government will develop an adaptation plan that includes measures to protect such vulnerable groups from being severely impacted by climate change.

A “Climate Crisis Information Platform” will also be created to quickly provide climate-related information through a single platform, as related information is currently scattered across the Environment Ministry, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Meteorological Administration.