Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) strategically engages with several climate policies in South Korea, taking both positive and negative positions. KEPCO has positive top-line statements about the need for climate action, while appearing to oppose specific measures to transition South Korea’s energy mix away from fossil fuels. KEPCO also actively engages with South Korea’s renewable energy policies, Korea Emissions Trading Scheme (K-ETS) and the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: KEPCO expressed some top-line support for climate action but lacked detail about the level of ambition required on a global scale. In an April 2025 Korea Western Power’s (KOWEPO) press release, a subsidiary of KEPCO, supported the South Korean government’s 2050 carbon neutrality policy. In a March 2023 report published by the KEPCO Research Institute, KEPCO supported GHG emissions reductions in key industries to contribute to South Korea’s 2050 carbon neutrality target.
Engagement with Climate-related Regulations: KEPCO actively engaged with several climate policies in South Korea, including the carbon tax, K-ETS, the 2030 NDC, and renewable energy policies.
In an April 2025 National Assembly Policy Seminar, KEPCO E&C, a subsidiary of KEPCO, appeared to advocate for carbon tax with major exemptions by suggesting that “appropriate carbon tax” should be implemented for the company that owns nuclear power generation. During the Public Hearing on the Amendment to the 3rd National Emissions Allowance Allocation Plan in September 2023, Korea South-East Power (KOEN), a subsidiary of KEPCO, advocated against easing restrictions on surplus allowances but advocated for maintaining the use of allowances from offsets under the K-ETS.
In a November 2024 National Assembly Policy Seminar KOEN appeared unsupportive of the reduction strategies outlined in South Korea’s 2030 NDC. KOEN stated that “it is necessary to explore more realistic and cost-effective carbon reduction measures rather than pursuing unconditional closures of coal-fired power plants” to achieve the 2030 NDC, noting recent Constitutional Court rulings and post-2030 carbon reduction challenges.
According to KEPCO’s 2024 CDP Climate Change response, it supported renewable energy legislation, calling for stakeholder backing and reform of electricity pricing in response to increased renewable generation. At an August 2024 National Assembly Policy Seminar, KEPCO supported government investment in renewable energy and called for more ambitious legislation. In a May 2025 National Assembly Policy Seminar, Korea Southern Power (KOSPO), a KEPCO subsidiary, supported renewable legislation promoting onshore wind power.
Positioning on Energy Transition: KEPCO appears to have both positive and negative engagement with energy transition, supporting renewable and nuclear energy but advocating for the continued role of fossil fuel in the energy mix.
In a November 2024 National Assembly Policy Seminar, KOEN advocated for extending the use of coal power plants through ammonia co-firing rather than transitioning to LNG plants.
KEPCO appears to take a broadly positive position on nuclear energy. At an August 2024 National Assembly Policy Seminar and a November 2024 National Assembly Policy Seminar, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), a subsidiary of KEPCO, supported long-term contribution of nuclear energy and SMR’s to facilitate the shift towards renewables. KHNP also supported the use of hydrogen produced from nuclear energy to support the transition to a fully decarbonized energy system. However, in a September 2024 press release, KEPCO CEO Kim Dong-cheol supported expanding nuclear, hydrogen, and CCS as alternatives to a renewables-dominated energy system.
KEPCO has communicated some top-line support for the expanded role of renewable energy in the energy mix. In a November 2024 National Assembly Policy Seminar, the company supported the need for government intervention to support a transition toward renewables.
Industry Association Governance: KEPCO disclosed a partial list of its memberships in industry associations, including the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), in its 2024 Sustainability Report, but does not provide details on each group’s climate policy positions. Lee Sang-kyu, Vice Executive Officer of Safety and Technology at KOEN, is the Vice President of the Environment and Climate Committee at Korea Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Executives from Korea Midland Power, Korea Western Power, Korea East-West Power, and Korea Southern Power, are members of the Climate Committee. KEPCO does not appear to have published a review of its industry association memberships and climate policy engagement. InfluenceMap identified KEPCO’s membership in the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) which engages actively with climate policy in South Korea and EU. For example, in an August 2024 Trade Focus Report, KITA opposed the K-ETS and instead advocated prioritizing industrial development over regulation for carbon neutrality. In a July 2023 consultation response to the EU Commission, KITA requested exemptions for South Korean companies from the EU CBAM reporting obligations and proposed allowing K-ETS-covered firms to report embedded emissions based on domestic policies.
The South Korean government owns 51.1% of KEPCO through direct and indirect stakes. It is likely that KEPCO retains channels of direct and private engagement with South Korean officials that InfluenceMap is unable to assess, and therefore are not represented in KEPCO’s engagement intensity metric. There is evidence that KEPCO is engaging with the South Korean government on several policy issues through its membership of several committees such as the Reduction Council at the National Council on Climate and Air Quality. However, InfluenceMap is not able to fully capture the content discussed in these forums with publicly available information.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.