Korea | OECD Environmental Performance Reviews

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has been conducted periodic assessment on environmental performance of its member states to improve the quality of environmental policies and build trust among members.

The report "3^rd OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Korea 2017" was recently published. This Third OECD Environmental Performance Review of Korea provides assessment on Korea's progress in achieving its environmental policy objectives for the past decade from 2006 to 2016. 

Major achievements have been made over the past decade. For instance, materials recovery rose to 59% (compared to the OECD average of 34%) and over 60 endangered species have been successfully restored. However, in light of Korea's high dependence on fossil fuel energy (82% of the total primary energy supply), the greenhouse gas emissions jumped by 2.38 times in 2013 compared to 1990, which is the highest increase in the OECD after Turkey.

Significant progress has been made in environmental governance and management such as more stringent standards for air and water quality as well as the introduction of integrated permit system. The review recommends that the Korean government needs to expand the coverage of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and raise monetary penalties for illegal pollutant emissions.

More than 80% of the waste generated is recovered and the material productivity has increased by 34%. The report recommends that Korea should gather information on the flow of waste and materials in the society to move towards the circular economy.

Overall, the access to environmental service has improved as the environmental damage compensation system has been strengthened and the water supply and sewage facilities have been expanded. The reviews recommend that Korea needs to conduct wider analysis on environmental health-related issues, strengthen public participation and improve access to information.

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