Green Growth

Green growth (녹색성장/綠色成長) means making efforts to reduce side effects of economic growth to the detriment to environment, to protect such environment for the next generation and to maintain sustainable growth of economy. This slogan was first presented at the APEC Environment Ministerial Meeting held in Seoul in March 2005. Nowadays “Green Growth” is the top priority issue in every sector of national policy. Actually Green Growth has become a “prefix” to many a government policy measures. In February 2009, the Presidential Committee on Green Growth was establish to carry out the national vision of low-carbon green growth suggested by President Lee Myung-bak in his 8·15 (Liberation Day) address in 2008.

Key words
low carbon, green growth, sustainable development (SD), environment-friendly

Low-Carbon Green Growth Act
On May 24, 2011, a new Act was enacted to accelerate the green growth. The Amendment to the Act on the Promotion of the Conversion into an Environment-Friendly Industrial Structure (환경친화적 산업구조로의 전환촉진에 관한 법률), passed by the National Assembly on passed on April 29, 2011, shall come into force on November 25, 2011.

The Framework Act on Low-Carbon Green Growth (저탄소녹색성장기본법) was first put into effect on April 14, 2010, replacing the previous environmental management certification system with focus on the green management.

Objective
This amendment aims to revamp relevant systems, to lay institutional foundations to promote green management by building up support for the research and development of green products and remanufactured products, to buttress the re-cyclable resource industry by preparing measures for industrial conversion into the environment-friendly structure and conducting related projects, and to remedy other defects of the existing system.

Main points of the Act
1. Revamp of the green management certification system (Paragraph (8) of Article 2, Article 16 and Article 16-2, amended; Paragraph (8)2 of Article 2 and Paragraph (1) of Article 29, newly inserted)
 * With the enactment of the Framework Act on Low Carbon and Green Growth, the green management certification system, which has no international standards to refer to, has been set up. Therefore, it is necessary to draw up domestic standards and revamp relevant systems.
 * The green management shall be certified by government-imposed standards, and anyone who gains certification by deceptive or other unlawful means shall be subject to criminal punishment.
 * This amendment is expected to encourage corporations and other organizations to adopt green management, and contribute to preventing unreliable certification.

2. Stronger Support for Technological Development Projects (Paragraph (1) 4 of Article 6, amended; Paragraph (1) 7 & 8 of Article 6, newly inserted)
 * As green management emerges as a key strategy for enhancing corporate competitiveness, and the sustainable production and consumption system is increasingly incorporated into the social and economic structures, support for domestic industries is required so that they can prepare for the new paradigm.
 * Technologies related to the remanufacture industry, eco-friendly design and production, and inter-corporation utilization of resources and energy shall be added to the subjects of technological development projects.
 * This amendment is expected to lift technological competence for the development of green products and remanufactured products, which would lead the green market.

3. Establishment and Implementation of Measures for Industrial Conversion into Resource-Circulation Structure (Article 20, newly inserted)
 * In order to join the ranks of advanced countries in resource circulation, despite limited natural resources, systematic support needs to be provided for the industrial use of recyclable resources.
 * The Minister of Knowledge Economy shall establish and implement measures for the industrial conversion into a resource-circulation structure, and carry out projects including the arrangement of research/development/standardization systems for making recyclable resources into high value-added materials and for promoting exchange of such resources.
 * This amendment is expected to facilitate resource circulation in a wide range of levels from each part and material of products, corporations, and industrial complexes to districts and to the nation as a whole, and bring a greater national resource security.

2011 Laws on Green Growth in Korea
On the occasion of the First Asian Forum of Legislative Information Affairs, held in Song-do ConvensiA in Incheon on November 10, 2011, a collection of Korean laws (in the English version) specialized in green growth has been published jointly by the Korea Legislation Research Institute and the Ministry of Government Legislation. It contains:
 * Framework Act on Low Carbon, Green Growth;
 * Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Low Carbon, Green Growth;
 * Sustainable Development Act;
 * Sustainable Transportation Logistics Development Act;
 * Energy Act;
 * Energy Use Rationalization Act;
 * Act on the Promotion of the Development, Use and Diffusion of New and Renewable Energy;
 * Integrated Energy Supply Act;
 * Natural Environment Conservation Act;
 * Clean Air Conservation Act;
 * Conservation and Management of Marine Ecosystems Act;
 * Support for Environmental Technology and Environmental Industry Act;
 * Act on the Promotion of the Conversion into Environment-Friendly Industrial Structure;
 * Act on Promotion of Development and Distribution of Environment-Friendly Motor Vehicles;
 * Environment-Friendly Agriculture Fosterage Act;
 * Act on the Encouragement of Purchase of Green Products;
 * Act the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources;
 * Act on the Resource Circulation of Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Vehicles;
 * Promotion of and Support for Water Reuse Act; and
 * Act on the Creation and Facilitation of Use of Smart Grids.

Global Green Growth Institute
On October 18, 2012, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) was converted into an international organization following the ratification of Kiribati as the third country to approve the treaty. Delegates and representatives from 17 countries which signed the treaty to convert the GGGI into an international organization in Rio in June attended the signatories meeting in Seoul, and agreed to meet for the organization’s Inaugural Meeting on October 23-24 in Seoul.

The Inaugural Meeting will mark the first meeting of the new Assembly and Council that will govern GGGI as a new international organization. It will take place ahead of the pre-COP (Conference of Parties) Ministerial Meeting for UN climate negotiations to be held in Seoul.