Anchor: The South Korean government finalized its five-year green growth plan, under which it pledged to financially assist efforts to expand green industries and better encourage the private sector to do their part.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: In its five-year green growth plan approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday, the South Korean government will set up a "green fund" totaling five trillion won for the next three years to offer loans with an interest rate that is one percentage point lower than the market rate.

The loans will be available for equipment and facility investments that apply new environment-related and green-certified technologies.

By encouraging and expanding investments into green industries, the government expects to further develop low-cost and highly-efficient smart energy technologies, as well as green technologies that would mitigate air pollutants, including fine dust.

In order to carry out its mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, the government will decide on emissions goals and ways to achieve them for seven different areas, including industry and transportation, and publicize the results.

The government will also expand the portion of emissions rights that can be purchased from the current three percent to ten percent starting in 2021, in a bid to encourage businesses to join the reduction campaign.

Efforts will be made to reduce fine dust and other pollutants in the transportation sector, with the government providing 433-thousand electric and 67-thousand hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2022.

A zero-energy certification system, where buildings are equipped with new renewable energy sources to minimize energy use, will become mandatory for public buildings starting next year and for private buildings in 2025.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.