Climate Change Center

 

1. Methane as the political unlock for the "last 1%" in enhanced NDS

The familiar mitigation options are already heavily loaded: major sectors have used up much of their easy reduction potential, while “next-generation” technologies will still take years to scale. This is why new, immediately actionable and politically realistic abatement options are now so valuable.

 

In this context, methane is emerging as one of the clearest candidates. Methane reductions deliver much faster climate benefits than CO₂ cuts, and in Korea they directly intersect with energy and industrial policy. Roughly 30% of Korea’s power mix is based on LNG, all of it imported. Cutting leakage along that chain offers one of the rare packages that can improve climate ambition, energy security and corporate economics at the same time.

 

With that logic in mind, the Climate Change Center and the National Strategy Institute at Seoul National University co-hosted the seminar, “The Key to NDC 1%: Methane Reduction and the Future of Business with Today’s Technologies.” The aim was to frame methane reduction not as another compliance burden but as a strategic choice for competitiveness and security, and to bring government, industry, researchers and civil society into the room before Korea designs its detailed rules.

 

2. Opening remarks: “Methane is a fast-acting treatment”

Chang-Sub Kim, Co-President, Climate Change Center; Professor of Electrical Engineering, Gachon University

 

In his opening remarks, Chang-Sub Kim recalled that the Climate Change Center has been working on methane steadily and in depth for years, long before it became a global headline issue.
He described methane as “a gas that works like a fast-acting treatment for climate impacts”, and stressed that the core task for the day was to figure out how Korean companies can turn this into a proactive strategy, rather than treating methane only as a risk. That framing set the tone for the rest of the discussion.

 

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3. How LNG supply-chain rules are turning methane data into a core financial risk

Mina Berkow, Director for Energy Transition, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)

 

 

The first presentation, by Mina Berkow, Director for Energy Transition at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), focused on “Emerging LNG supply-chain regulation: strengthening methane data integrity.”

Berkow highlighted how Korea and Japan are working together through the CLEAN Initiative to drive methane reductions and transparency along the entire LNG value chain. Methane, she argued, is not just a high-impact climate lever; it has become a core instrument for energy security and industrial competitiveness. “Markets and investors now see methane both as a regulatory risk and a financial risk,” she said. To manage that, countries and companies need robust MRV systems – measurement, reporting and verification – built on direct measurements and covering all stages of production, transport and use.

She pointed to the ADNOC–Santos case, where uncertainty around methane information affected the perceived value of a transaction, and to investor statements opposing the weakening of EU methane rules. “Transparent data and consistent regulation now shape market stability and long-term value,” Berkow argued.

The toolbox, she stressed, is already available: leak detection and repair (LDAR), low-emission equipment, minimizing flaring and venting. “We don’t need perfect data to start acting,” she said, adding that given the share of global LNG that flows to and through Asia, the region is quickly becoming the place where performance standards for LNG methane intensity will be set.

 

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4. Japan’s twin-track strategy: using methane control to reconcile gas and net zero
Hiroshi Hashimoto, Senior Researcher, Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ)

 

 

 

The second presentation, by Hiroshi Hashimoto, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), outlined “From regulation to competitiveness: Japan’s LNG supply-chain management and corporate methane strategy.”

Hashimoto argued that, as Japan pursues both energy security and decarbonization, gas-fired power may temporarily play a larger role, not a smaller one, because it helps balance variable renewables. That means LNG demand is unlikely to collapse in the near term, and makes rigorous methane management across the whole chain a necessity rather than a choice.

Korea and Japan, he noted, are now the second- and third-largest LNG importers in the world and are jointly advancing the CLEAN Initiative. Together, they account for roughly 25% of global LNG consumption and 40% of production coverage under this vision, putting them in a position to shape transparency expectations and methane performance benchmarks for the global market.
Japan is investing in satellite observation (e.g. GOSAT), joint measurement campaigns and technology demonstration projects with producer countries. Across all of this, Hashimoto stressed, measurement-based MRV is essential for trusted reductions. His message was clear: methane management is shifting from a defensive posture against regulation to a core element of industrial competitiveness.

 

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5. Certified gas and the shift from compliance-driven to market-driven methane cuts
Ben Webster, Head of Policy, MiQ (Methane Intelligence)4

 

 

The third presentation was given by Ben Webster, Head of Policy at MiQ (Methane Intelligence), a non-profit certifier and verifier that grades methane performance at oil and gas facilities. Today, around 20% of US gas production is MiQ-certified, with companies such as BP and ExxonMobil among the participants.

In his talk on “Methane reduction performance and MRV disclosure by global energy companies,” Webster argued that simply switching from coal to gas does not guarantee meaningful emission cuts. Without tackling methane leakage across the supply chain, the climate benefits of gas as a “bridge fuel” erode quickly.

To address this, MiQ has introduced the concept of Certified Gas. Gas that meets MiQ’s performance and verification criteria receives tradable certificates per MMBtu, which can be sold with or independently from the physical gas – creating a market structure similar to renewable energy certificates (RECs).

As demand for high-performance, low-methane gas grows, operators with poor performance will face pressure to improve or risk losing customers. In other words, methane reduction can be driven by market signals, not only by regulation.

Webster noted that MiQ is expanding cooperation with Japan’s METI and JOGMEC to extend certification and verification into Asian LNG supply chains. He also signalled a clear interest in partnering with Korean government, companies and universities, stating that “data that can demonstrate real reductions is becoming a new source of competitive advantage.”

 

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6. Technology without rules: Korea’s legal blind spots on methane governance
Hyun Young Jee, Attorney, Environmental Energy Law & Policy Center, Seoul National University

 

 

The fourth presentation, by Hyun Young Jee, Attorney at the Environmental Energy Law & Policy Center, Seoul National University, examined “The need for methane-specific legislation in Korea and the key challenges.” Jee reminded the audience that methane is a short-lived climate pollutant – it stays in the atmosphere for roughly 12 years – yet accounts for around one-third of global warming. That means a tonne of methane abatement can deliver much faster climate stabilization benefits than a tonne of CO₂ reduction.

She highlighted research showing that methane from the oil and gas sector could be reduced by up to 75% using already proven technologies, often at low or even negative net cost. From a techno-economic standpoint, she described methane as one of the most accessible mitigation options.
By contrast, the regulatory picture in Korea remains almost empty. National methane emissions are around 27 million tonnes CO₂-equivalent (about 4% of total greenhouse gas emissions). Energy-sector fugitive emissions appear small at first glance (around 1% of total emissions), but they account for roughly 17% of Korea’s methane emissions, making them a logical priority for targeted policy.

The deeper problem, Jee argued, is that Korea still relies heavily on default emission factors and estimates. Comparative studies suggest actual emissions may be significantly higher than the official inventory. She cited a recent case where satellite observations identified a large plume over western Incheon, yet there was no obligation to repair leaks or impose penalties, exposing a serious regulatory blind spot.

Jee proposed three immediate priorities:
- Mandatory, measurement-based MRV for key methane sources
- Bans on routine flaring and venting, backed by LDAR programmes
- Clear penalties and enforcement tools for non-compliance
Methane reduction, she concluded, is “the cheapest and fastest climate action we have,” and Korea’s legal framework needs to move quickly to reflect that.

 

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7. Making invisible leaks visible: observation science and next-generation MMRV
Dongyeong Chang, Vice Center Director, Climate Tech Center, Seoul National University

 

 

The fifth presentation, by Dr. Chang, focused on “Observation-based methane monitoring technologies and the role of science and engineering.”
Despite being one of the world’s largest LNG importers, Korea’s management of LNG-related methane leakage is still underdeveloped, Jang said. Over the past 20 years, LNG use has tripled, and with it the risk of leakage at city gas pipelines, storage tanks, vents and other downstream infrastructure. Yet monitoring and management systems have not kept pace.

In Seoul, roughly 22% of methane emissions are estimated to come from fugitive sources, but a large share of these sources remains unidentified in the inventory. Over three years, Chang’s team has carried out ground-based, mobile and satellite measurements across the city. They found that sewer networks, large shopping centres and ageing gas networks are major emitters, and that in many cases actual emissions were much higher than reported figures. At one power plant, for example, the inventory suggested 0.3 tonnes of methane per hour, whereas direct observations indicated around 2 tonnes per hour – roughly six times higher.

“It’s not that the emissions don’t exist; it’s that we haven’t been looking properly,” she said. For Chang, the priority is to build a chain that runs from precise source identification, to inventory improvement based on measurements, to targeted deployment of reduction technologies.

The Seoul National University team has already identified multiple hotspots where measured emissions exceed inventory values by at least a factor of six. Reducing this gap, he argued, is central to aligning Korea with IPCC guidance on MMRV and to building regulatory and market trust in the country’s methane data.

 

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8. Panel: domestic priorities and governance for credible early policy choices
The panel discussion, moderated by Professor Su-Jong Jeong, explored what Korea needs to prioritise at home to build a credible methane strategy.

 

 

 

■ Professor Jinsoo Kim, Department of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineering, Hanyang University – Gas’s mid-term role and realistic scenarios. 

Professor Kim noted that electricity demand is rising sharply, driven by AI and data centres, and that in the short term only solar and gas-fired power can respond at scale. In the United States, he pointed out, around 60% of additional power demand to 2030 is expected to be met by gas generation. Korea’s long-term plan, by contrast, assumes a steep, almost linear decline in gas use – a trajectory that could diverge significantly from global realities.
He cautioned against the assumption that “gas is about to disappear” and argued instead for realistic mid-term scenarios that treat gas as a transitional fuel while investing in methane reductions and robust MRV.

 

■ Tae-Ui Lee, Head of Energy Security Policy Division, Korea Energy Economics Institute – MRV integrity and who pays for it

Dr. Lee warned that extreme leakage figures, such as those several times higher than IPCC emission factors, can easily spread without sufficient verification, and risk driving hasty generalisations. He pointed to the widely reported case of a supposed 5,700 kg/hour methane leak in Incheon, equivalent to about a quarter of a plant’s hourly gas consumption. Had those numbers been accurate, it would have been “an extraordinary incident,” he noted. Subsequent investigations found otherwise, but the correction never received the same visibility, leaving lingering suspicion.

For Lee, the lesson is clear: sound MRV systems are essential not only for cutting emissions, but also for avoiding misinterpretation and unnecessary controversy. He also reminded the audience that industry already uses ppm-level gas detection, odorants and operational controls for safety. Going forward, he said, debates must include how costs are shared – through climate funds, tariffs or other mechanisms – and bring industry perspectives more centrally into the conversation.

 

■ Seung Min Lee, Senior Research Fellow, Korea Environment Institute – Climate–air quality co-benefits

From an air quality perspective, Dr. Lee argued that methane should be approached as a co-benefits strategy, simultaneously delivering climate mitigation, cleaner air and health gains.
Rather than managing methane as a stand-alone gas, he called for integrated governance that links satellite and ground-based monitoring, LDAR and MRV systems with existing air pollution management frameworks. She welcomed the ongoing work at the National Institute of Environmental Research to develop standard test methods and guidelines for methane measurement, calling it an important first step towards a joined-up climate and air quality regime.

 

■ Jiwon Choi, Director-General, Climate Change Center – A “Korea Methane Dialogue” built on trust with industry

Finally, Choi noted that methane has still not become a central policy topic in Korea. Since joining the Global Methane Pledge, the Center has worked to raise awareness, but methane remains largely absent from key government agendas and industry still tends to avoid open discussion.

With the launch of a new Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, she argued, Korea now has a window of opportunity to design a comprehensive methane management framework. But if Korea continues to rely mainly on the label “relatively clean fossil fuel” without full life-cycle data, natural gas will continue to be treated simply as another fossil fuel in international markets.

Choi called for a MMRV-based decarbonization model for gas, and for showcasing progress on satellite MRV and OGMP 2.0 implementation to markets and partners. Citing IEA analysis that around 40% of methane emissions can be cut at no net cost, she framed methane reduction as a practical solution that can simultaneously deliver NDC “1%” gains, strengthen industrial competitiveness and reduce costs.
“Technology only works when it is backed by trust,” she said, proposing the creation of a “Korea Methane Dialogue”, a national platform where government, industry and academia can work together on data transparency and policy design.

 

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9. Conclusion: Methane at the intersection of NDC delivery and industrial competitiveness

 

 

For Korea, the seminar made one thing clear: methane reduction is no longer a side issue. It is becoming a strategic field that will influence both the success of enhanced 2035 NDCs and the country’s industrial competitiveness.
Globally, data transparency across the LNG value chain, mandatory MRV and certification markets are expanding quickly, with Asia – and Korea in particular – drawn into a central role as a major buyer.  Domestically, a gap between inventory data and actual emissions has already been identified, yet regulatory gaps still remain. As such, there was a shared recognition of the urgent need to swiftly strengthen foundational systems, including advancing MRV based on direct measurement.

 

They also stressed that methane is one of the most cost-effective levers available, and that reductions can immediately support Korea’s energy security and economic resilience in an LNG-dependent system. Rather than treating methane as a short-term “emergency exit” for NDC gaps, speakers argued for developing it as an innovation space that delivers climate, air quality and competitiveness co-benefits. If government, industry, research institutions and civil society can jointly build trusted data and stable policy architecture, Korea has a realistic chance to be seen as a deliverer – not just a promiser – on methane, and to convert global pressure into a reputation for credible, high-impact action.

 

The Climate Change Center closed the seminar by signalling that it will continue to pursue consensus-based solutions for NDC delivery and climate-industry competitiveness, and will work with partners to launch and sustain a “Korea Methane Dialogue” as a platform where national, regional and industrial stakeholders can jointly secure climate, air quality and economic benefits.