Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. News1
The Presidential Committee on National Climate Crisis Response held the inaugural ceremony of the Climate Citizens’ Assembly on Tuesday at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Seoul, the committee said.
The Climate Citizens’ Assembly is a Korean-style climate deliberation forum in which citizens voluntarily participate in climate policy under the Framework Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth. It differs from previous public deliberation models in that citizens serve as “co-designers” who take part in shaping and implementing policy, rather than merely receiving it.
The citizen participation panel consists of 220 members drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds, including teenagers, people with disabilities, the elderly, and multicultural families, in order to secure representativeness and inclusivity.
The panel will begin with expert briefings on climate policies closely tied to daily life, before moving on to agenda-setting, debate and deliberation, and the development of policy proposals.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who attended the ceremony, said, “Climate disasters have recurred year after year, going beyond a crisis of daily life to shake the entire economy and threaten the safety and lives of the people.” He added, “Responsible action and practice to change the future and pass on hope to future generations are more urgent than ever.”
“We will fuse the two axes of artificial intelligence (AI) and the energy transition, and forge a new breakthrough that harmonizes overcoming the climate crisis with economic development,” Kim said. “Your diverse experiences and wisdom mark the beginning of change that will accelerate carbon neutrality.”
Kang Kum-sil, Korea’s Global Climate and Environment Ambassador, said, “I hope it becomes established that we joyfully turn inconvenience and burden into a new pattern of life. I would like to call that ‘Green First.'” She added, “I ask you to lead this everyday role of differentiating ‘green,’ willingly bearing the cost, and shifting toward a joyful pattern of living.”