Signal Carbon border rules, RE100 demands and cluster power needs expose Korea's energy transition gap

Summary

The government points out that the EU plans full implementation of its carbon border adjustment mechanism from 2026, charging imports the same carbon cost as goods produced inside the bloc. A 2024 Korea International Trade Association survey found that 28.2 percent of manufacturing exporters expect difficulty keeping existing business if customers require RE100. The government also cites the Yongin semiconductor cluster, which needs more than 10 gigawatts of power supply. That requirement is described as five times the current electricity demand of Yongin city. These figures are used to argue that a slow energy transition is becoming a constraint on exports and on advanced industrial investment.