Trend Energy security returns as a top priority alongside carbon neutrality

Summary

The prolonged war between Russia and Ukraine and instability in the Middle East have pushed energy security back to the top of national policy agendas. Achieving energy security and carbon neutrality together is becoming the core objective of national energy policy. The report says a strategy to resolve the energy trilemma is therefore required. Internationally, many states seek cheap and stable fossil fuel supplies for security. Korea instead pursues security by cutting fossil fuel import dependence and expanding clean energy self-reliance, which creates cost differences between countries in the course of implementation. The report frames this simultaneous pursuit as a new policy challenge rather than a settled balance.