※ The attached PDF is provided in Korean.

South Korea’s local governments for the 2026–2030 term (the ninth local government term) will serve through a decisive period for national climate action. By the end of June 2026, all 17 metropolitan-level governments and 226 basic local governments had established their first carbon neutrality and green growth basic plans, and key governance mechanisms such as local Climate Crisis Response Committees and Carbon Neutrality Support Centres were formally in place. Yet their substance falls short of what is needed. Our assessment found that 38.5 per cent of basic local government plans received a D rating, while their average 2030 reduction target was only 25.3 per cent, below the level implied by South Korea’s national target. The gap between planning and implementation points to a deeper problem: local climate governance remains too weak to turn formal plans into measurable emissions reductions.

We focus on three core pillars of local climate governance. First, Carbon Neutrality Support Centres are expected to provide policy support, technical assistance and a bridge between local governments and civil society, but their staffing and budgets are far too limited for such a broad mandate. More than 70 per cent are operated by universities or research institutes, which has tilted their work towards research and surveys rather than civic engagement and local policy formation. We propose renaming them ‘Climate Crisis Response Centres’, expanding their staff and budgets, clarifying the division of roles between metropolitan and basic local centres, diversifying operating bodies, making their establishment mandatory, and strengthening centre-to-centre networks through an expanded support system.

Second, local Climate Crisis Response Committees should act as coordination bodies for local climate policy, but many remain formalistic. Some local governments delegate their role to existing environmental committees, while many committees are chaired by deputy heads of local government, limiting their authority to coordinate across departments. We propose requiring separate Climate Crisis Response Committees by law, prohibiting substitution by environmental committees, introducing a joint public-private chairing system, establishing permanent secretariats, opening recruitment for civilian members, reflecting social representation and diversity, and creating local Climate Citizens’ Assemblies based on deliberative participation.

Third, local administrative structures and implementation bodies need to be rebuilt around climate delivery. Although the central government launched a Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment in 2025, local climate administration is still largely embedded within environmental departments. Among South Korea’s 243 local governments, only 13 have the words ‘climate’ or ‘carbon’ in the name of the department responsible for climate policy, and most lack dedicated agencies to implement core projects. We propose creating dedicated climate departments in all local governments, introducing climate deputy heads in metropolitan governments, and expanding implementation bodies such as regional energy corporations, local energy centres and green building support centres.

Together, these reforms converge around two principles: climate mainstreaming across all policy areas, and collaborative governance that brings together public authorities, experts, citizens and civil society. They require not only voluntary reform by local governments, but also amendments to the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth, the Local Autonomy Act and regulations governing local administrative organisations.

Author
Byoung Kweon KIM | Director | bkkim21kr@igt.or.kr
Yongseok OH | Deputy Director | ysoh@igt.or.kr
Wonsub YOON | Operations & Strategy team| yoon365@igt.or.kr