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Korea Energy Agency powers student awareness of carbon neutrality in Jeju

Published: 11 Jul. 2025, 10:11

Jeju’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality and supporting the local economy took another step with the island’s regional office of the Korea Energy Agency (KEA) inking a memorandum of understanding with the Jeju Tourism Agency to integrate renewable energy.

The agreement, signed on June 14, aims to strengthen the cooperative relationship between the two organizations while stimulating Jeju’s economy and promoting tourism with a focus on net-zero emissions and renewable energy.

Participants of the “Global Youth in Jeju” event, part of the “Jeju Net-Zero Tour,” pose in front of the Jeju Metropolitan City Food Waste Treatment Facility on June 5. [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

The deal serves as an opportunity for the partners to focus on areas such as planning and developing tourism products and content to promote renewable energy, spreading a carbon-neutral culture linked with the tourism industry and reviewing carbon reduction activities and measures for coexistence with residents and economic revitalization. They successfully held the “Global Youth in Jeju” event over two days from June 4 to 5, with 75 international students from 24 countries residing in Korea.

Under the slogan “Meeting the value of Jeju on the path to sustainability,” the tour focused on three key themes: Jeju’s carbon neutrality policies, national heritage and environmentally friendly future industries. Participants experienced the island’s natural heritage and visited sites related to future industries and carbon neutrality, and engaged in a “learncation” program combining education with travel.

“Global Youth in Jeju” participants tour the Hamdeok Green Hydrogen Charging Station on June 4. [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

On the first day, participants toured sites such as Jeju Stone Park, the Utsanjeon cave of the Upper Geomunoreum Lava Tube System and a lava bridge, the Samdasoo Smart Factory, Hamdeok Green Hydrogen Station — the first in Korea and Jeju’s only Hydrogen Charging Station. In addition, they participated in a beach cleanup activity at Gimnyeong Seongsegihaebyeon Beach with the nongovernmental organization Save Jeju Ocean. Through this activity, the students learned about resource circulation, recycling and the core values of environmental, social, and governance management.

Tour participants of the Jeju Net-Zero Tour check out the Jeju Metropolitan City Food Waste Treatment Facility on June 5. [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

On the second day, students visited the Jeju Metropolitan City Food Waste Treatment Facility — the nation’s largest such facility — where resource circulation is achieved through the recycling of biogas, experienced gravity-powered racing at 9.81 Park and took part in ecological programs with local Jeju startups. In addition, participants completed assignments such as sharing their experience through social media and proposing ideas for the learncation program.

The Jeju Net-Zero Tour takes students to the Hwasun Gotjawal Eco Forest on June 5. [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

The KEA offered participants offline experiences on the promotion of net-zero emissions and renewable energy in Jeju through this program.
“Using this opportunity as an initiative, we hope that global talent will experience Jeju’s carbon neutrality policies and renewable energy projects, such as RE100, and this will serve as a foundation for sharing Jeju’s efforts with the world,” an official said, adding, “We will continue to expand programs linked to Jeju’s renewable energy infrastructure to contribute to achieving carbon neutrality.”

BY JANG HAYOON [[email protected]]

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