Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

Trade Minister meets U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum

Korea’s Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo met U.S. Interior Secretary and National Energy Council Chair Doug Burgum on June 27 in Washington D.C. and discussed Korea-U.S. cooperation in energy areas including LNG. date2025-06-30

Minister Ahn Holds Talks with U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources

Minister Ahn Duk-geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) met with members of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources on May 30, 2025, in Seoul to discuss Korea-U.S. cooperation in energy and critical minerals. The U.S. delegation was led by Committee Chairman and U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR), and also included Representatives Nick Begich (R-AK), Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Celeste Maloy (R-UT), and Sarah Elfreth (D-MD). During the talks, Minister Ahn emphasized the need to strengthen Korea-U.S. energy cooperation and to stabilize critical mineral supply chains in light of rising global energy demand and supply chain uncertainties. He also called for close attention to ensure that recent U.S. tariff measures do not undermine the two countries’ close industrial and energy cooperation, and proposed to continue consultations on strengthening bilateral energy cooperation to resolve energy security and trade imbalance issues. Referring to the budget reconciliation bill that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives, Minister Ahn underscored the need for policy continuity, whether through Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax credits or comparable support, to ensure stability for Korean companies investing in the U.S. He also called for congressional interest and support to invigorate bilateral trade and investment. date2025-05-30

Minister Ahn meets members of U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources

Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn met with members of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources on May 30 in Seoul to discuss measures for Korea-U.S. cooperation in energy and critical minerals. The U.S. delegation, led by Committee Chairman and U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR), consisted of Representatives Nick Begich (R-AK), Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Celeste Maloy (R-UT), and Sarah Elfreth (D-MD). date2025-05-30

Korea Opens 2025 Hydrogen Power Bidding Market

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) announced the opening of the 2025 hydrogen power bidding market. The hydrogen power bidding market is a system for purchasing and supplying electricity generated using hydrogen or hydrogen compounds as fuel. It consists of two categories—clean hydrogen power or general hydrogen power—depending on the fuel used. Only power facilities using fuels that meet Korea’s clean hydrogen certification standard of no more than 4 kg CO₂e per 1 kg of hydrogen are eligible to participate in the clean hydrogen power bidding market. The clean hydrogen power bidding market is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by expanding power generation using carbon-free clean hydrogen. For 2025, the bidding volume is set at 3,000 GWh/year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 850,000 households, with a contract period of 15 years. Power generation must begin by 2029, following a three-year preparation period, with a one-year grace period in consideration of the program’s initial phase. Final bidders will be selected around November through a comprehensive evaluation of both pricing and non-pricing factors, including bid price, clean hydrogen grade, fuel supply stability, and industrial and economic contribution. Notably, the 2025 clean hydrogen power bidding market will introduce two new mechanisms long requested by the industry: an exchange rate-linked settlement system and a hydrogen volume borrowing system. Until now, settlements were made at fixed prices in Korean won, with project developers bearing the risk of won-dollar exchange rate fluctuations. Starting in 2025, however, power prices will be linked to the exchange rate at the time of settlement, helping reduce business risks stemming from currency fluctuations. In addition to the existing hydrogen volume carryover system, which allows unused hydrogen volumes to be carried over to the following year, the market will also introduce a new borrowing system, enabling operators to use part of the following year’s allocated hydrogen volume in advance. This improvement is expected to give operators greater flexibility when scheduled maintenance and similar factors make it harder to meet contracted generation volumes. The bid announcement and more detailed information will be available on the hydrogen power bidding market website of Korea Power Exchange (kchps.kmos.kr) starting at 5:00 p.m. on May 9 (KST). date2025-05-09

Korea-Czech nuclear reactor cooperation arrangement

Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn and Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček signed a Korea-Czech nuclear reactor cooperation arrangement on May 7 in Prague in the presence of Czech Prime Minister Fiala and both countries’ government delegations. date2025-05-09

Czech nuclear reactor project localization agreement ceremony

Korea’s Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Dukgeun Ahn attended the Czech nuclear reactor project localization agreement ceremony on May 7 in Prague with Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček and other leaders of both countries' governments and businesses. date2025-05-09

U.S. CEBA Officially Joins CFE Initiative

The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) announced on May 8, 2025, that the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) officially joined the Carbon Free Energy (CFE) Initiative. CEBA is the largest U.S. organization representing clean energy buyers, consisting of over 400 members, including global tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. On May 6, 2025, (local time) in Minnesota, U.S., the Carbon Free (CF) Alliance and CEBA signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation under the CFE Initiative. The signing took place during CEBA Connect: 2025 Spring Summit, CEBA’s flagship annual event, attended by former IPCC Chair and CF Alliance Chairman Lee Ho-seung. Under the MOU, CEBA will represent the U.S. private sector in the CFE Global Working Group. It will also join the CF Alliance’s efforts to establish global CFE certification standards, including the definition and scope of carbon-free energy and methods for verifying and certifying carbon credits. With CEBA’s participation, membership in the CFE Global Working Group rises to seven: Korea, Japan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Czech Republic, the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM). Based on the MOU, the CF Alliance and CEBA agreed to cooperate in a range of areas to promote the diffusion of carbon-free energy sources. Their cooperation will include convening annual joint international conferences and engaging in technology and policy information exchanges. The CFE Initiative has already won support from major countries and organizations such as Japan, the UK, France, and the IEA. In October 2024, the CFE Global Working Group was launched, which now includes public and private experts from around the world. Other organizations, including the United Nations (UN), the IEA, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), have also expressed support, and consensus is growing across the international community on the need to harness various carbon-free energy sources. Companies in Korea and abroad also expressed support for the CFE Initiative, viewing it as more inclusive, cost-effective, and technology-neutral than other similar initiatives. It is also considered more business-friendly in terms of scalability in developing countries and its recognition of Scope 1 emission reductions. date2025-05-08

Minister Ahn attends AMCHAM Evolving Energy Forum

Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn attended the AMCHAM Evolving Energy Forum on April 18 in Seoul held under the theme of “Opportunities in the Korea-U.S. Partnership” and gave a congratulatory address. date2025-04-21

Korea and Vietnam sign MOU for cooperation in power grids and new energy industries

Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Dukgeun Ahn and Vietnam’s Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien led their government delegations in attending the MOU signing ceremony between Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and Vietnam’s National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT) for cooperation in power grids and new energy industries. date2025-04-14

Vice Minister attends Korea Pavilion opening ceremony at World Expo 2025 Osaka

Korea’s Trade, Industry and Energy Vice Minister Namho Choe attended the Korea Pavilion opening ceremony at World Expo 2025 Osaka on April 13 with the participation of Korea and Japan’s government delegations, related institutions, and business leaders including Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) President Kang Kyung-sung and Commissioner General of the 2025 World Exposition in Japan Haneda Koji. date2025-04-14