Cheong Wa Dae sells green growth legacy

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Cheong Wa Dae has initiated a drive to pass President Lee Myung-bak’s signature policy initiative of green growth on to the next government as he enters his last year in office.

Kim Sang-hyup, a presidential secretary on green growth, told reporters Thursday that an estimated 270,000 green jobs have been created, adding the figure is a tentative one. Kim said the government will announce the actual figure in March.

The Presidential Committee on Green Growth unveiled a set of measures to strengthen what it called the green growth regimen in an effort to keep the initiative going even after Lee finishes his term.

Among the seven measures are forging trilateral partnerships among non-profit groups, the local community and the political arena; beefing up efforts to push for policy initiatives; and financial support for green technology.

A recent survey found the vast majority of the people (96.7 percent) said the next government should keep pursuing green growth as one of its key policy priorities. The Hankook Research poll also found green growth is widely considered one of Lee’s key legacies.

Speaking to a commemoration ceremony on Liberation Day on Aug. 15, 2008, the President addressed eco-friendly growth as a policy priority.

Lee’s green growth drive has gained positive responses from foreign leaders. U.S. President Barack Obama lauded South Korea for spearheading the initiative.

In a speech delivered to mark the implementation of the Korea-EU free trade agreement on July 11 last year, British Foreign Secretary William Hague called Korea “an increasingly important international partner for the United Kingdom.”

Hague cited Korea’s dramatic rise to become a major economy from a poor country emerging from the ashes of the Korean War; its hosting of a Group of 20 summit in 2010; and its drive for green growth as signs indicating the country’s increasing influence in the international community.

Unlike the international acclaim the initiative received, criticism erupted domestically.

Critics labeled green growth as an empty slogan. They point out there are abundant rhetorical commitments but no concrete measures have been taken to make them reality.

Analysts say the nation is heading in the right direction as it prioritizes the green campaign as a key policy focus in an era of climate change.

Nonetheless, they say it remains questionable whether the legacy will survive once Lee leaves office as little groundwork has been laid since he first addressed the issue in his Aug. 15 speech.

An emissions trading scheme bill, the key legislation designed to fight climate change, is stalled in the National Assembly passing the deadline that the Lee government set.

The bill calls for carbon emissions trading aimed at setting a quantitative limit on emissions and to cut them and fight climate change.

The green growth committee said it would push for approval of the bill by the end of February.

Hong Jung-yi, a National Assembly staff member assisting in the parliamentary approval of the cap-and-trade bill, stopped short of confirming the schedule.

Hong said the policy committee will hold a meeting with business leaders and industry experts to conclude whether the legislature should approve the bill or not.

She predicted it will be a tough ride for the committee members to reach a consensus on the controversial bill because businesses are opposed to it.

“It’s hard to tell if the bill will get the nod from lawmakers any time soon,” she said. “Legislators basically agree that the bill should be passed as it will help the nation fight climate change. But the problem is that industries are deeply concerned about the measures.”

Hong said opposition from the business sector will make the bill’s passage difficult.