South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday proposed the idea of creating a Carbon Free Alliance, an open platform designed to facilitate widespread use of carbon free energy, in his keynote speech during the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, the United States.

In his speech, under the theme, “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity,” Yoon emphasized the importance of promoting a wide array of carbon-free energy sources, not limited to renewables alone.

He underscored the role of high-efficiency carbon-free options, including nuclear power and hydrogen, as pragmatic alternatives to expedite the journey towards carbon neutrality.

At the center of the Carbon Free Alliance lies hydrogen and nuclear power generation, two sectors in which Korea has featured industrial prowess.

Carbon free energy is produced from a group of energy resources that generates no carbon emissions. The term encompasses renewables like solar and wind power, nuclear power plants, hydrogen, and even carbon capture and storage.

The Carbon Free Alliance differs from initiatives such as RE100, as it recognizes all energy sources that avoid direct carbon emissions, according to Senior Presidential Secretary for Economic Affairs Choi Sang-mok.

This approach benefits countries like Korea, where renewable energy generation is limited and expensive, by providing them with a broader range of options.

Yoon, in the meantime, also expressed concerns about the increasing military collaboration between North Korea and Russia in his speech.

“It is paradoxical that a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, entrusted as the ultimate guardian of world peace, would wage war by invading another sovereign nation and receive arms and ammunition from a regime that blatantly violates U.N. Security Council resolutions,” he said.

By Park In-hye and Han Yubin

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