South Korea goes green

Lee unveils ‘greengrowth’ plan as Seoul marks anniversary
Today Online 16 Aug 08;

SEOUL — On Friday, President Lee Myung-Bak unveiled a “green growth” strategy to drive South Korea’s economy in future decades as the nation celebrated its 60th anniversary marked by dramatic economic growth and democratisation.

“Green growth is a future strategy that will enable a ‘Miracle on the Korean Peninsula’ to succeed the ‘Miracle on the Han River’,” Mr Lee said in a speech.

The conservative President, whose government was rocked by months of street protests against beef imports from the United States, stressed the importance of the rule of law. He vowed to upgrade South Korea’s image, lamenting that it is best known overseas for “labour-management disputes and street rallies”.

Mr Lee touted “Low Carbon, Green Growth” as the core of the country’s new vision. “The renewable energy industry will create several times more jobs than existing industries,” he said.

He vowed to increase energy self-sufficiency through overseas exploration from the current 5 per cent to more than50 per cent by 2050.

Efforts would also be made to raise the use of new and renewable energy from the current 2 per cent to more than 20 per cent by 2050. South Korea would strive to become one of the world’s top four nations producing “green” cars, he said.

“Even if soaring oil prices drop in the years to come, now is the time for us to bid farewell to the era of excessive oil dependence,” Mr Lee said.

Security was tight in Seoul following a summer of protests against the resumption of US beef imports. The demonstrations have died down after the government secured extra safeguards against the supposed risks of mad cow disease.

After World War II, Korea was divided into US and Soviet zones of influence, with North and South Korea coming into existence in 1948. Two years later, the North invaded the South, sparking a war that left the country in ruins and an estimated1.7 million Korean civilians dead.

Since then, the size of the economy has grown 750 times to become the 13th largest in the world, and democracy was achieved in 1987 after decades of military-backed rule. AFP