SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited a primary school in Seoul on Monday (May 15) where he announced a new government air pollution policy that includes shutting down coal-fired power plants that are over 30 years old in June to mitigate air pollution.
The measure comes as coal-fired power plants are being criticized for contributing to deteriorating air quality in South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
Amid these concerns, new President Moon vowed during his election campaign to close the old coal power plants and review a plan to add coal power generation. Instead, he advocated increasing the share of renewables to produce more clean energy.
Coal supplies about 40 percent of South Korea’s total power generation because it is cheaper compared to other energy sources such as liquefied natural gas. At present, South Korea runs a total of 59 coal-fired power plants.