South Korea will require manufacturers of medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles to meet mandatory greenhouse gas reduction targets from 2027, while tightening emissions and fuel-efficiency standards for passenger vehicles, as it steps up efforts to meet its 2030 climate goals.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said on Wednesday it had published draft revisions to vehicle greenhouse gas and fuel-efficiency regulations for a 60-day public consultation ending 14 September.
The changes are designed to align the transport sector with South Korea’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, which commits the country to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent from 2018 levels by 2030. The government approved an even more ambitious 2035 target last year, aiming to reduce emissions by 53 to 61 per cent from 2018 levels, with transport identified as one of the sectors requiring deeper cuts.
A key change is the introduction of mandatory emissions reduction targets for medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, replacing the current voluntary system.
The requirements will be phased in between 2027 and 2030, beginning with heavy trucks weighing more than 15 tonnes and tractor units, before expanding to medium and large-sized buses, medium-duty trucks and dump trucks. Manufacturers will be required to reduce average greenhouse gas emissions from these vehicle categories by 30 per cent from a 2021 to 2022 baseline by 2030.
Companies that fail to meet the targets will face financial penalties, although the government said fines would initially be set at relatively low levels to allow manufacturers time to develop cleaner technologies and expand production of low-emission vehicles. Penalty levels will be increased after the mandatory regime is fully implemented from 2031.
For passenger cars and light-duty vehicles, South Korea will significantly tighten fleet-average emissions standards by 2030.
The average emissions limit for passenger cars and vans carrying up to 10 people will be lowered to 54 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre (g/km) from the previously planned 70 g/km. For light trucks and minibuses carrying 11 to 15 passengers, the limit will be reduced to 98 g/km from 146 g/km.
To ease the burden on automakers while accelerating the shift to cleaner transport, the government will extend its “super credit” incentive programme for electric, hydrogen and hybrid vehicles through 2029, allowing sales of low-emission vehicles to count more heavily toward compliance targets. It will also introduce new incentives for hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles, provide longer compliance repayment periods for manufacturers that miss emissions targets, and continue applying differentiated compliance requirements based on company size.
The draft rules also introduce a pilot “indirect emissions reduction” mechanism, allowing automakers to offset up to 5 per cent of their emissions obligations if they generate or use renewable electricity at their domestic production facilities. The measure is intended to reflect evolving international regulatory practices and encourage manufacturers to decarbonise their operations as well as their vehicles.
South Korea’s transport sector has remained one of the country’s harder-to-abate sources of emissions despite rapid growth in electric vehicle sales. The government has increasingly focused on decarbonising commercial vehicles, where electrification has progressed more slowly than in the passenger car market, as it seeks to meet both its 2030 and 2035 climate targets.
The government said it would finalise the regulations after reviewing public and industry feedback received during the consultation period.
