In a landmark decision, South Korea’s Constitutional Court has ordered the government to provide more specific plans for achieving its climate goals, setting a precedent for climate activism in East Asia. The ruling comes after a legal battle initiated by 254 plaintiffs, including a baby, who argued that the government’s current climate policies are inadequate and violate their human rights.
The court’s decision, delivered on Thursday, is a partial victory for the plaintiffs, who argued that South Korea’s failure to accelerate emissions cuts threatens their future well-being. While the court did not mandate a more ambitious 2030 target, it did require the government to outline detailed plans for achieving its carbon neutrality goal by 2049. The court also rejected the plaintiffs’ call for more specific plans to ensure immediate implementation, citing insufficient evidence of the policy’s unconstitutionality.
However, the court recognized the plaintiffs’ argument that South Korea lacked concrete plans for achieving its long-term climate objectives. As a result, the government has been ordered to amend its carbon neutrality law by February 28, 2026, to include these plans. The South Korean government has yet to publicly comment on the court’s ruling.
The case represents a significant step forward for climate activism in South Korea and the broader region. The plaintiffs, many of whom were children or teenagers when they filed the case in 2020, argued that South Korea’s current target of cutting emissions by 35 percent from 2018 levels by 2030 is insufficient to address the urgent threat of climate change. They also highlighted the lack of concrete plans for achieving carbon neutrality after 2031.
The plaintiffs asserted that South Korea’s insufficient climate policies infringe upon their human rights, leaving them vulnerable to future environmental degradation and climate-related harm. Sejong Youn, legal counsel for the case, told ‘Nature’ journal that a favorable precedent in South Korea could “trigger a trend” across the region, sending a message that “all countries need to take action to tackle this global crisis.”
While legal challenges are relatively uncommon in East Asia, experts believe that this successful case could inspire similar actions in the region. Dr Zhu, a researcher quoted in ‘Nature’, noted that even a loss in court could be considered a victory in terms of raising public awareness and prompting social change. The fact that the case reached the Constitutional Court itself is a testament to the growing momentum of climate activism in South Korea and beyond.
