Korean Responses to Environmental Challenges: Origins, Drivers and Impacts of Green Growth on Development

Abstract

South Korea is a typical newly industrializing polluting country. Until recently, pollution levels, in terms of carbon dioxide emissions per capita, increased continuously as the national income grew (Schmalensee et al. 1998; Jobert et al. 2012). South Korea makes an interesting case for the importance of policy decisions or industrial and trade structure in determining environmental outcomes (Vincent 1997; Murad et al. 2009). What are the causes of the deteriorating environment in South Korea? Is it policy absence or failure?