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A devil’s bargain cripples South Korea’s energy security
The country’s sleek modern society is built on an insatiable appetite for fossil fuels.
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By 2030, South Korea wants to generate more than 30 per cent of its electricity from renewables and 70 per cent from clean sources, including nuclear.
PHOTO: AFP
David Fickling
In the 2025 film KPop Demon Hunters, a slick South Korean boy band acts as cover for a diabolical plot to feed humanity to a ravenous, fiery, subterranean monster. Believe it or not, that’s a decent way of thinking about South Korea’s energy policy.
There’s been lots of reasons for fans of the energy transition to idolise the country of late. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was one of the first world leaders to name the Iran war as a reason to accelerate the switch to clean power. “Relying on fossil energy is extremely dangerous for the future,” he said during a visit to Jeju island, an aspiring wind and solar hub. “All energy sources must be rapidly transitioned to renewable energy.”
