Kim Sung-hwan, minister of climate, energy and environment, speaks at a pre-briefing on the ministry's second-half 2026 work plan at Government Complex Seoul on Monday. [Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment]
Kim Sung-hwan, minister of climate, energy and environment, speaks at a pre-briefing on the ministry's second-half 2026 work plan at Government Complex Seoul on Monday. [Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment]

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said it will deploy flexible water resource management to deliver water where and when it is needed, supporting the government's three flagship mega-projects in semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers. The ministry plans to meet surging demand from advanced industries while preparing for climate disasters such as droughts and floods.

The ministry also said it will drive a decarbonization transition across industry, transport and heating, build an investment ecosystem, and develop the energy transition sector into a leading export industry — all while pursuing a circular economy free of resource extraction to secure sustainability and resource security.

Infrastructure overhaul to deliver water where it's needed

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment presented its key second-half 2026 work plan Tuesday at Cheong Wa Dae's state guesthouse.

Among the measures outlined, the ministry said it will shorten the review cycle for the National Water Supply Master Plan from five years to two, allowing demand fluctuations to be reflected more quickly. It will also strengthen the regulatory framework to allow over-allocated river water permits to be revoked and redistributed.

The ministry plans to convert water stored in large agricultural dams to industrial and residential use where farming is unaffected, and to redirect water released from power generation dams so it can be used year-round for industrial and residential supply.

Water resource facilities will be operated in an interconnected manner to offset each other's vulnerabilities to drought and flooding.

Inter-dam pipelines will move water rapidly from areas with surplus to those facing shortages. Surplus river flow will be channeled to replenish dam storage or substituted for agricultural use, expanding the available supply for industrial and residential purposes.

Water previously lost or wasted will be recovered and put to use.

Discharge that currently flows unused into the sea through estuary barrages will be redirected for agricultural use. Treated effluent from public sewage treatment facilities will be reused as a stable water source for new industrial complexes, and the ministry will establish priority supply standards for recycled water as part of broader regulatory reforms.

A panoramic view of Soyang River Dam [Korea Water Resources Corporation]
A panoramic view of Soyang River Dam [Korea Water Resources Corporation]

Green transformation and plastic-free circular economy

The ministry will restructure five major carbon-intensive industries — steel, petrochemicals, refining, cement and semiconductors — toward low-carbon, high-value-added models.

It will secure core green transformation technologies for each sector, including hydrogen-based steelmaking and biofuel production in the refining industry. A detailed K-GX (Korea Green Transformation) strategy — covering technologies under development and phased implementation plans — is set to be jointly announced by relevant ministries in the third quarter.

The ministry will also accelerate the mainstreaming of electric vehicles, targeting a 50 percent share of new car sales and full electrification of public-sector and commercial vehicles by 2030.

It will support the transition of taxis and rental cars to electric vehicles and introduce differentiated tax deduction standards for corporate vehicles depending on whether they run on internal combustion engines or electricity. Electrification of delivery motorcycles will also be pursued to reduce noise and exhaust emissions in residential areas, along with electrification of off-road equipment including agricultural machinery, construction equipment and vessels.

The ministry will also advance a circular economy for plastics.

The mandatory recycled-content rate for PET beverage bottles, currently set at 10 percent, will be raised to 30 percent by 2030. The ministry will also pursue expanding the mandatory recycled-content requirement to high-value-added products such as home appliances and vehicles.

Circular use will be built into the production stage to maximize sustainability. The ministry will establish design standards for major product categories that incorporate high-quality recyclability, and will pursue the institutionalization of a Korean eco-design regime to ensure compliance.

Workers move compressed plastic recyclables. [Yonhap]
Workers move compressed plastic recyclables. [Yonhap]

Building a safe environment against disasters and hazardous factors

The ministry will also establish a next-generation flood defense system capable of responding to extreme rainfall intensified by climate change.

Additional water storage capacity will be secured by utilizing agricultural reservoirs and power generation dams. AI-equipped surveillance cameras and digital twin monitoring — which creates real-time simulations mirroring actual conditions — will be deployed across all national river sections to enable proactive flood response.

The ministry will build a chemical safety net by conducting intensive safety training on hazardous substances for safety managers and short-term workers at approximately 1,700 worksites, and by supplying safety equipment including hazard-alert devices to high-risk facilities.

The sale and distribution of unapproved biocidal products will be completely blocked, and the ministry will establish an AI-based rapid toxicity assessment system by year-end to phase out highly toxic substances.

To address increasingly frequent high-concentration ozone events driven by climate change, the ministry will conduct detailed investigations of high-concentration zones and major emission sources, and use AI-based forecasting to minimize public exposure. A package support program targeting industrial complexes in residential areas will reduce fine dust pollution in everyday spaces.

Kim Sung-hwan, minister of climate, energy and environment, said the ministry would "lead the AI revolution by driving the success of the mega-projects through clean, stable power and water supply, and overcome the climate crisis through the green transformation and circular economy." He added that the ministry would "fulfill its duty to ensure our daily lives take place in a safe environment."


thlee@heraldcorp.com