Kang Keum-sil, South Korea's Global Climate and Environment Ambassador serving as a special envoy for President Lee Jae Myung, reaffirmed the country's commitment to a "green transformation" at the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31).
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kang delivered a speech at the COP31 leaders' summit in Antalya, Turkey, on Thursday (local time), calling for collective international action on the climate crisis and a transition that reconciles economic growth with decarbonization.
Kang introduced South Korea's 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution and its green transformation strategy, outlining a path toward becoming an "electric nation" through the electrification and decarbonization of industry, renewable energy expansion and grid development.
Kang also expressed support for the "35 by 35 Global Electrification Pledge" proposed by Turkey, the COP31 host country. The pledge aims to raise electricity's share of global final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035.
On the sidelines of the summit, Kang met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and China's climate envoy Liu Zhenmin to discuss key climate issues.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had signed a framework agreement with Nepal on climate change cooperation on the occasion of the summit.
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