Kim Ji-soo joined The Korea Times in 2006, and worked on such desks as culture and politics and is currently a member of the Editorial Board. Previous workplaces include The Korea Herald and the Korea JoongAng Daily.
'GGGI will become strong player in carbon market and AI'
Kim Sang-hyup, director-general of the Global Green Growth Institute, smiles before an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Jung District, Seoul, July 24. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Kim Ji-soo
GGGI Director-General Kim Sang-hyup vows to make institute an indispensable global asset to combat climate change
In the past six months, many in Korea have sought to understand the disrupted landscape brought on by domestic and international political chaos, including the aggressive return of the Donald Trump administration. Kim Sang-hyup, who took office as director-general of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in January, understands that the challenges the institute is facing in advancing the shift to green growth amid climate change may have doubled or tripled.
Kim, the first Korean and the fifth chief of GGGI, hit the ground running, visiting cities and countries over the past half-year to forge coalitions for sharing and implementing the green growth policies and initiatives. His nickname of "Conan" — etched on his namecard and name plate — is inspired by the protagonist in the Japanese animated series "Future Boy Conan," set in a post-apocalyptic world. There have been some meaningful results since he took office. Kenya, Algeria and Luxembourg joined GGGI in the first half of 2025, bringing the total member nations to 52.
The fact that new member nations are signing up attests to the undeniable demand for green growth economic policy tools and the market it creates, Kim said. It comprises another aspect in GGGI's green growth model, manifesting in different industrial or technological policies and tools with new jobs while also holding countries accountable to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and shifting to cleaner energy.
Kim Sang-hyup, director-general of the Global Green Growth Institute / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
"It is important that GGGI, embedded in the government of member countries, maintain our core mission to shift to green growth," Kim said during an interview at GGGI's Jung District office in central Seoul last week.
GGGI was launched in 2012 at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Kim was one of the key actors in establishing the institute during the 2008-13 Lee Myung-bak administration where he served as senior presidential secretary for green growth. In the successive governments of Park Geun-hye, Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk Yeol, however, the green growth initiative stalled.
"Korea is a middle power that established an international organization. Yet, Korea often exhibits a closed mindset where we shy away from taking leadership initiative. There is also the factor that when new governments come in, they are likely to promote their new initiatives over their predecessors'," he said.
Nevertheless, he sees the new Lee Jae Myung administration's proactive stance on climate change as a welcome development.
“GGGI strongly welcomes the new government’s proactive climate agenda, such as the plan to establish the Ministry of Climate and Energy.”
"Whether GGGI can thrive further will serve as a test of Korea's ability and international status," Kim said.
Kim Sang-hyup, director-general of the Global Green Growth Institute, smiles during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Jeong-dong, Seoul, July 24. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
To increase GGGI's policy capacity, Kim has set three main goals for the year: become the strongest player in the carbon market; drive the artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled "measurable, reportable and verifiable" system; and make progress on hydrogen, regarded by some as the ultimate green energy source.
Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are key culprits in the transition to green growth. Its emission mainly drive the global warming where about 70 percent of which derives from the energy sector.
GGGI has established the Carbon Transaction Facility (CTF) to help with its emission reduction, which is critical to achieving the 2015 Paris Agreement’s goals, such as keeping global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius of preindustrial levels. Article 6 of the Paris Agreement allows nations to voluntarily cooperate to achieve their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to the reduction of greenhouse gas emission, also known as internationally transferred mitigation outcomes.
The CTF supports the participation of GGGI member states and partner countries in this mechanism and comprises two pillars. The Article 6 Readiness Facility focuses on supporting countries engaging actively in carbon markets mainly in capacity-building and carbon funds, which facilitates the management of carbon transactions.
GGGI partners with the governments of Cambodia and Korea to finalize first authorization of ITMO transfer
Recently, GGGI partnered with the governments of Cambodia and Korea to finalize the first ever authorization of ITMO (Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcome) between the two countries. The e-mobility project is expected to reduce emissions by the equivalent of 683,000 tons of carbon over a 10-years period. Ninety percent of the total will be transferred to Korea as part of the agreement between the two governments. In the absence of trust in global carbon markets, this news signals the beginning of a trust-based exchange of high-integrity carbon credits based on Korean low-carbon technology and finance.
"While that case was premised on the NDC, we are hoping to become the strongest international organizational player in the global carbon market," Kim added.
Kim Sang-hyup, posing in his Jung District office in central Seoul, says the transition to green growth will take time and may be expensive initially, but people should not lose hope. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
AI and hydrogen
Kim and GGGI are hoping to inject a crucial element of verification to the data accrued by AI.
"AI is versatile in many ways. For example, with regard to extreme weather, AI can assist in preemptive weather forecasting so as to determine the appropriate mix of solar and wind power needed when that forecast materializes. In Indonesia, AI is used to measure how much carbon seaweed can absorb, and that data then can be used in the carbon market," he said.
Verifiable data is particularly crucial in the exchange of mitigated carbon credits, which are transferred between developed and developing nations, Kim added.
GGGI's third goal deals with hydrogen, another form of clean energy alongside renewables and nuclear. "Hydrogen has a cycle from production to storage and delivery, and can be used in various forms. It's expensive for now, but as it grows in scale and technology develops, prices will head south. During Oct. 27-31 on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Gyeongju, hydrogen will be discussed during our Global Green Growth session. By October, we will also be launching a 'hydrogen-to-green growth' platform."
"It's vital for us to have our eyes fixed on why we have to go the path of transition toward green growth. It's more than a compelling narrative and responsibility to protect the environment in that involves new economic incentives ," he said. It’s a new way to "industrial" development, in a sustainable way, in face of climate warming disruption. As to responsibility, a day before this interview, on July 23, the International Court of Justice delivered a new advisory that nations are under legal obligation under international law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the climate.
In Asia, South Korea and China were one of early adopters of this new economic model. In 2009, then-Vice President Xi Jinping visited Korea and had a 90-minute talk with then-President Lee Myung-bak on sustainable green growth policies.
"By that time, he was designated to assume the presidency. On his return, he made the decision to all-out invest in electric vehicles, batteries and solar power as part of China’s state-driven green development. Now China leads these sectors globally. They are one of the biggest investors in renewables," Kim said.
"Transitioning toward a green growth model will take time. There is the moral, existential realization that climate change has become an outsized challenge, but there are new economic incentives as well," Kim said.
Kim referred to a recent report by the International Energy Agency, which noted that investment in renewable energy has doubled to $2 trillion in the past decade, while investment in the traditional energy sector remained stagnant at $1 trillion.
Kim Sang-hyup, director-general of the Global Green Growth Institute, speaks on his three major areas of concentration for GGGI this year--carbon market, AI and hydrogen-- during an interview with The Korea Times held in GGGI’s office in Jung District, Seoul, July 24. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Kim hopes for embedded international organizations like GGGI to convey that the shift to the new green growth economic model, although expected to take time and investment, is the most desirable solution.
"These technology tools remain high-priced and the geopolitical challenges remain. But I would like to deliver the message, the hope, that it is doable and that we should not be too intimidated,"
“GGGI will stand ready, shoulder to shoulder with member states and partner countries, becoming an indispensable global asset in this time of climate crisis,” Kim noted.