From left: Park Hwan-il, senior research fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute; Park Yong-jin, executive director at KIS Asset Evaluation; Shim Chae-yun, manager at Korea Investment & Securities; Lee Je-seok, specialist at the Green Climate Fund; Kwak Sang-hun, professor at Handong Global University; Yun Ji-ung, president of the Science and Technology Policy Institute; Ji Gwang-cheol, head of the Super-Innovation Economy Promotion Division at the Ministry of Economy and Finance; Ji Hyun-seok, partner at Sopoong Ventures; Park Cheol-ho, division head at the National Green Technology Research Institute; and Choi Jae-ho, secretary general of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation, pose for a photo. [Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation]
From left: Park Hwan-il, senior research fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute; Park Yong-jin, executive director at KIS Asset Evaluation; Shim Chae-yun, manager at Korea Investment & Securities; Lee Je-seok, specialist at the Green Climate Fund; Kwak Sang-hun, professor at Handong Global University; Yun Ji-ung, president of the Science and Technology Policy Institute; Ji Gwang-cheol, head of the Super-Innovation Economy Promotion Division at the Ministry of Economy and Finance; Ji Hyun-seok, partner at Sopoong Ventures; Park Cheol-ho, division head at the National Green Technology Research Institute; and Choi Jae-ho, secretary general of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation, pose for a photo. [Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation]

The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation announced Thursday that it co-hosted the 2nd Climate Tech Innovation Forum in the AI Era on Wednesday at On Dream Society in Myeong-dong, Seoul, together with the Science and Technology Policy Institute and the National Green Technology Research Institute.

Capital flows into climate tech have been expanding rapidly. The government this year raised the operating scale of its Climate Response Fund to a record 2.9 trillion won ($2.05 billion), and established a National Growth Fund to channel 150 trillion won into advanced strategic industries over five years — with public finances absorbing losses on a subordinated basis to attract private capital.

A special bill on fostering the climate tech industry and building an innovation ecosystem, currently before the National Assembly, also lays institutional groundwork for linking climate tech with finance, incorporating provisions on climate value assessment (Article 9), specialized climate tech investment partnerships (Article 15) and financial support (Article 16).

Those working in the climate tech sector agree that the challenges remain steep. "Because revenue track records are short and technological uncertainty is high, it is difficult to value these companies the way you would a conventional business," they say, adding that even firms securing early-stage investment frequently find their growth capital cut off when moving from demonstration projects to large-scale capital expenditure.

The forum is the second in a three-part series planned jointly by the three organizations from July through September, designed to address precisely these concerns. Panels were organized by type of funding source, bringing together in one venue every pillar of climate finance — from policy-backed lending and international climate funds to corporate valuation and private investment.

About 60 people attended, including Choi Jae-ho, secretary general of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation, and Yun Ji-ung, president of the Science and Technology Policy Institute, along with researchers, companies, financial and investment institutions, and policy officials working in the climate tech field. Keynote presentations covered the role of finance in building a climate tech innovation ecosystem, delivered by Kwak Sang-hun, professor at Handong Global University, and the current state of private investment in climate tech and ways to invigorate it, presented by Ji Hyun-seok, partner at Sopoong Ventures.

A panel discussion followed, moderated by Yun Ji-ung. Participants represented five areas: policy finance, with Ji Gwang-cheol, head of the Super-Innovation Economy Promotion Division at the Ministry of Economy and Finance; international climate finance, with Lee Je-seok, specialist at the Green Climate Fund; corporate valuation, with Park Yong-jin, executive director at KIS Asset Evaluation; private investment, with Shim Chae-yun, manager at Korea Investment & Securities, and Ji Hyun-seok of Sopoong Ventures; and academia, with Kwak Sang-hun of Handong Global University.

Jeong Moo-sung, chairman of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation, said "even when a climate technology's potential has been proven, it cannot reach the market without timely access to funding." He added that he hoped the discussions would "contribute to building a climate finance ecosystem in which policy finance, private capital and international climate funds each play their respective roles while flowing together as one."

Meanwhile, the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation has also been actively supporting talent development across a range of fields, including recently hosting the CMK Arts Class 2026 Creative Arts Education Teacher Training at Bloom Vista in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province.


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