Climate Change Center

On November 20, CHOI Jai-chul attended the “International Sea Forest Forum: Climate Solutions” held in collaboration with the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The forum explored the strategic use of marine-based carbon sinks and the need for strengthened international cooperation. With the IPCC advancing the inclusion of seaweed as a new carbon sink and accelerating international standard-setting, the event served as the first international platform to comprehensively discuss the role of blue carbon in achieving national NDC implementation.

Earlier in June, the Climate Change Center signed an MOU with the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency to advance “international certification of sea forest (seaweed) blue carbon and the development of carbon market–linked mitigation projects.” This forum provided an opportunity to share the collaborative direction of both institutions with the international community. Under the agreement, the Center plans to promote ▲international certification of marine carbon sinks, ▲development of blue carbon mitigation projects linked to domestic and global carbon markets, ▲data and knowledge exchange and joint research, and ▲expansion of international cooperation networks.

During the forum, Chairman CHOI emphasized that establishing an internationally certified blue carbon framework and ensuring the credibility of mitigation outcomes will directly contribute to Korea’s 2030 and 2035 NDC targets. He also expressed the Center’s intention to broaden collaboration so that domestic research and policy progress can inform ongoing international standard discussions. Moving forward, the Climate Change Center will continue working with the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to secure international recognition of new marine carbon sinks—such as seaweed, seagrass, and mangroves—expand data-driven mitigation projects, and strengthen strategies aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.