206 firms in the province directly export CBAM-covered goods to the EU, concentrated in Changwon, Gimhae and Yangsan

Five agencies to provide information, training, consulting and emissions verification under coordinated support framework

Administrative Vice Governor Park Il-ung of South Gyeongsang Province (eighth from left) poses with representatives of the South Gyeongsang Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council, Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, Korea Management Association Consulting and the Korean Standards Association at the provincial government headquarters in Changwon on Tuesday, after signing an MOU to support local exporters in complying with the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. [South Gyeongsang Province]
Administrative Vice Governor Park Il-ung of South Gyeongsang Province (eighth from left) poses with representatives of the South Gyeongsang Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council, Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, Korea Management Association Consulting and the Korean Standards Association at the provincial government headquarters in Changwon on Tuesday, after signing an MOU to support local exporters in complying with the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. [South Gyeongsang Province]

South Gyeongsang Province is stepping up support for local exporters as the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism enters full implementation.

The provincial government signed an MOU Tuesday with the South Gyeongsang Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council, Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, Korea Management Association Consulting (KMAC) and the Korean Standards Association (KSA) at the provincial government headquarters in Changwon to coordinate support for exporters navigating the CBAM regime.

The CBAM is a system under which the EU levies charges on imports of carbon-intensive goods — including steel, aluminum and cement — based on the volume of carbon emissions generated during production.

As of June this year, 206 companies in the province directly export CBAM-covered products to the EU. By product category, 167 firms export steel and 16 export aluminum. By location, Changwon accounts for 73 companies, followed by Gimhae with 72 and Yangsan with 33.

The five signatory agencies plan to pool their respective capabilities to support companies through every stage of CBAM compliance — from identifying affected firms and providing information and training to offering consulting services and calculating and verifying carbon emissions.

South Gyeongsang Province will oversee overall administrative support, while the provincial chamber of commerce council will gather on-the-ground concerns from businesses. Korea SMEs and Startups Agency will help connect companies with government support programs, and KMAC and KSA will handle compliance consulting and emissions-calculation training, respectively. The province also plans to distribute an automated emissions-calculation program and sector-specific guidebooks.

"Given South Gyeongsang Province's concentration of manufacturers and exporters, CBAM compliance is directly tied to business survival," Administrative Vice Governor Park Il-ung said. "We will expand practical support that companies can feel on the ground."

Choi Jae-ho, chairman of the South Gyeongsang Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council, said individual companies face limits in responding on their own. "We will relay the voices from the field to build an efficient support system," he said.

Since 2025, the province has provided CBAM compliance training to 361 local companies and delivered specialized consulting to 33 of them.


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