President Lee Jae Myung said that becoming a carbon-neutral society is an inevitable step the nation must take to achieve sustainable growth and become a global economic power.

Lee made the remark during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, referring to the government's updated goal of reducing the country's greenhouse gas emissions by up to 61 percent by 2035.

The president called for a balance between new targets and realistic limits, stressing that the nation will face a greater crisis if it avoids what must be done.

He then instructed officials to pay close attention to the difficulties the general public and businesses could face in transitioning to renewable energy and reducing emissions.

Earlier, the Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth approved the government and ruling party's updated plan to reduce emissions by 53 to 61 percent from 2018 levels by 2035.