KOREAN NET

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 19 speaks at the third session of the Group of 20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. (Office of the President)

By Park Hye Ri

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 19 in Brazil pledged stronger support for countries vulnerable to climate change at the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

At the third session of the summit on sustainable development and energy transition, he explained his administration's plans to help overcome the climate crisis and switch to clean power sources.

"At the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly last year, I proposed the Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) initiative, and the Korean government in October this year launched the CFE Global Working Group with partner countries at the Clean Energy Ministerial," the president said. "Korea will develop carbon-free energy certification systems to further spread the CFE initiative."

President Yoon also stressed the country's intent to act as a "green ladder" by expanding green overseas development assistance especially for countries vulnerable to climate change.

He gave an update on Korea's injection of USD 300 million into the Green Climate Fund pledged in September last year at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India. He also reaffirmed his administration's plan to contribute USD 7 million to the U.N. Loss and Damage Fund for Developing Countries pledged in June at the Korea-Africa Summit in Seoul.

Stressing the need to reduce plastic pollution for sustainable development, President Yoon said, "My government will support the successful conclusion of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee," which begins in Busan on Nov. 25.

On Nov. 20, he boarded a plane home after wrapping up his eight-day Latin American trip to attend the APEC Summit in Peru and the G20 Summit in Brazil.

hrhr@korea.kr