[Brief] South Korea’s international public finance continues to block a just energy transition
Executive summary
An issue brief from OCI, Friends of the Earth, and SFOC released on April 3rd has revealed the massive amount of fossil fuel investments made by South Korea's public financial institutions between 2020 and 2022. Ranked second only to Canada, South Korea invested an average of $10 billion per year in overseas fossil projects, mainly in gas projects and midstream fossil fuel transport. South Korea is the world's largest provider of fossil fuel finance that has yet to make a commitment to stop fossil fuel financing and a laggard in renewable energy investment. During the period under review, Korea extended a mere $850 million per year in finance to renewable energy projects, about one-third of the renewable finance amount from Japan.
Download the issue brief below to read the full story!
The full report with global and country-specific trends will be published on 10 April.
Share this research
Related research
Status of the National Pension Service’s Stewardship Activities and Recommendations for a Climate Stewardship Code
2026-07-06
Steel in the Portfolio: An Engagement Framework for Institutional Investors
2026-06-16
Stewardship Without Climate : Reforming Korea’s Stewardship Code
2026-05-13
Financing Strategies for Coal Phase-Out: Germany's Sovereign Green Bond Model and Implications for South Korea
2026-04-21
An Assessment of Environmental and Social Impacts of LNG Carriers
2026-04-06
Recurring Crisis, Delayed Transition: From Fossil Fuel Dependence to Energy Independence
2026-03-18
Empty Seats at the Climate Table : Board Oversight Gaps in Hyundai Motor Company's Climate Governance
2026-03-03
Government Financing for H₂-DRI Commercialization: Comparative Risk-Sharing Cases and Implications for Korea
2026-01-26
The Changing Legal Landscape for LNG Shipping Expansion
2026-01-08
Why LNG Reduction Matters: Redefining Energy Security and Unlocking Economic Gains
2025-12-08
No Budget, No Cuts: Budget and Methane Reduction Impact Analysis for Achieving 78% Low-Methane Feed Supply Target
2025-12-03
From Words to Data: Bridging Hyundai’s Climate Commitments and Disclosure
2025-11-28
South Korea’s Export Credit Finance in Transition: National Economic Impacts of the Global Shift from Fossil Fuels to Clean Energy
2025-11-16
Supplementary Brief: South Korea's Exposure to Shipping Stranded Asset Risks
2025-10-26
No Budget, No Cuts: Agriculture’s 2030 NDC Targets at Risk
2025-09-16
VPPs: The Key to Korea's Transition to a Renewable Energy-Based Power System
2025-08-28
Bridge to Nowhere: The Doomed Fate of Korea's LNG Terminals
2025-08-19
The Climate Crisis—Culprits and Liability: Contribution of South Korea’s Top Ten Emitting Corporates to Climate Loss & Damage
2025-08-10
Speed Bumps on the Renewable Energy Highway: Minimum Generation Levels of Thermal Power Plants
2025-08-05
No Room for More: Why LNG Carriers Are a Climate and Financial Risk
2025-05-13
Analyzing Korea’s 2035 NDC GHG Emissions Reduction Pathway through an Integrated Assessment Model
2025-04-23
Moving Away from Coal: 2025 POSCO Holdings Climate Risk
2025-03-17
A Sleeping Giant? The National Pension Service’s Missed Potential on Climate Action
2025-03-11
Missing points of “South Korea’s East Sea Blue Whale Project”
2025-01-08
Socio-economic Impacts of Energy Transition in Chungcheongnam-do
2024-12-18
Bridging the Nature Finance Gap: Aligning South Korean Banks with the Global Biodiversity Framework
2024-10-27
Still Adrift: Updated assessment of the global energy transition's impact on the LNG shipbuilding industry
2024-10-14
Billions Off Course: Japan's Oil and Gas Financing Fueling the Climate Crisis
2024-09-05
Floating Doubt: The Risks of FSRUs in Expanding Methane Gas
2024-09-03
LNG運搬船: 世界のガス取引を拡大させる海上パイプライン ――影の推進者を明らかにする
2024-06-12
Three Unseen Flaws of the Boryeong Blue Hydrogen Project in South Korea
2024-05-26
Threat of Toxic Substances: Increased Particulate Matter and Health Hazards from Ammonia Co-firing
2024-05-22
Total Turmoil: Unveiling South Korea's Stake in Mozambique's Climate and Humanitarian Crisis
2024-01-29
LNG Carriers: The Floating Pipeline Powering Global Gas Expansion - Unveiling its Hidden Enablers
2023-11-27
[Report] The Inconsistent 'Coal-Free Pledge' of Korea's National Pension Service
2023-06-20
High and dry:The global energy transition's looming impact on the LNG and oil shipbuilding industry
2023-05-24
Betting on a Sinking Ship: Banks Behind the Barossa Gas Field’s FPSO
2023-04-18
Unveiling Fossil Greenwashing: Hidden Emissions of Korea's Hydrogen Scheme
2022-09-13
National Development Banks and the Climate Crisis
2022-06-13
Climate Risk Management in Financial Sector and the Role of Pension Funds
2022-02-10
[토론회] 한국형 녹색분류체계(K-Taxonomy), 무엇이 녹색경제활동인가
2021-11-23
[이슈 브리프] 탄소포집, 이용 및 저장기술(CCUS) 현황과 문제점
2021-11-03
KR-DE Road to 2050 : Financing Clean Energy Transition
2021-09-28
Fueling the Climate Crisis_South Korea's Public Financing for Oil and Gas
2021-08-31



