South Korea will limit the amount of corporate greenhouse gas emissions for a five-year period starting next year to 609-point-seven million tons.

The cap included in the Environment Ministry's five-year emissions allotment plan for the years 2021 to 2025 was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday.

Six-hundred-85 companies with annual average emissions of one-point-two billion tons between 2017 and 2019 will be subject to the allotment.

For 41 out of 69 participating industries, paid allotment will expand from the current three to ten percent.

The remaining 28, including municipal governments, schools, hospitals and public transportation operators, will receive the allotments for free.

Meanwhile, corporate assessment website CEO Score found that emissions by 200 companies dropped two-point-four percent from 25-point-three tons per 100 million won in sales in 2017, to 24-point-seven tons per 100 million won last year.