The government decided in a Cabinet meeting Tuesday to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent from the levels currently predicted for 2020.

This is equivalent to a four percent reduction from the level the nation recorded in 2005 and entails an aggressive strategy of switching from fossil fuel-based energy resources to nuclear power and other forms of low-emission, sustainable energies.

Reuters positively reviewed on Wednesday South Korea’s green investment plans, which it said were already among the most ambitious in Asia.

The Associated Press said South Korea’s voluntary target-setting could put pressure on developed nations to act more aggressively to fight global warming.

Bloomberg News quoted President Lee Myung-bak as noting that South Korea’s goal is set at the highest level recommended for emerging economies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change under the United Nations.

BBC quoted Lee as saying that the "aggressive" cuts would put South Korea in a good position in the rapidly growing clean technology sector.