'Korea presents model case of green growth'

By Yi Whan-woo

Korea’s green growth policy will form a cycle of sustainable development reinforcing economic growth and the preservation of biodiversity, said Environment Minister Yoo Young-sook.

The policy will provide a nature-based solution for social and economic development and help the country play a leading role in the international community, she said.

“Green growth enables nature and people to co-prosper and I think such co-prosperity will lead to harmony between the two,” she said in an interview with The Korea Times.

Green growth has been actively promoted by President Lee Myung-bak since August 2008 as the new national vision.

The Lee administration adopted the green growth policy to address rising concerns about rapid climate change that threatens people in their daily lives. It promotes a mutual relationship between the economy and the environment through sustainable growth.

Despite the global economic crisis, Korea has made a large investment in the green sector, spending 2 percent of annual GDP on it.

With government support, firms have developed green technologies to make low-carbon emitting products such as electric cars and rechargeable batteries. Market-driven green growth has now taken hold and the transformation toward a green economy is accelerating.

Korea has tried to become a role model in green growth and Yoo says that Jeju Island could be a perfect example of this.

“The island has the most potential among other regions in the country to show that nature and people can co-exist in harmony,” she said.

The island is hosting the 2012 World Conservation Congress from today. It is organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s largest environmental network with 89 state-members, 124 government agencies and 1,018 non-governmental organizations.

The congress is co-hosted by the Ministry of Environment, and Jeju Self-Governing Province.

Yoo said the world will be able to experience “Korea’s all-out efforts to preserve nature and achieve sustainable growth.”

“The province keeps investing their earnings from eco-tourism to conserve biodiversity and you can see how the economic development and preserved nature benefit each other in a virtuous circle,” she said.

The congress is also being held in East Asia for the first time and the minister said it will boost Korea’s reputation as an environmental leader in the region.

“As the environment minister of Korea, the Jeju conference will be a proud moment, and I’ll take it as an opportunity to play a leading role in environmental issues on the global stage.”