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Ministry of Environment reviews potential ban on gasoline and diesel vehicles

Published: 24 Sep. 2025, 19:45 Updated: 24 Sep. 2025, 20:21

Environment Minister Kim Sung-hwan speaks about carbon neutrality measures in the transport sector during a public forum on the 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution at Kia AutoLand in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi on Sept. 24. [YONHAP]

The Ministry of Environment is reviewing a potential ban on the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2035, aligning with policies already adopted by the European Union (EU), as part of its effort to meet Korea’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target.

Environment Ministry officials introduced the idea during a public forum on transport emissions held at Kia AutoLand in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday. The event was part of ongoing public discussions on the 2035 NDC, a greenhouse gas reduction commitment that each country must submit to the United Nations every five years, outlining its targets for the coming decade.

The ministry presented four emissions reduction scenarios, each based on 2018 net emissions of 742.3 million tons. The plans would cut emissions by 48, 53, 61 or 65 percent by 2035. In the transportation sector, a 48 percent cut would require reducing emissions from 98.8 million tons in 2018 to 44.3 million tons, while the 65 percent target would require a drop to 32.6 million tons.

The ministry could achieve these reductions by accelerating the adoption of zero-emissions vehicles, such as electric and hydrogen cars, and improving fuel efficiency. Under the 48 percent scenario, zero-emissions vehicles would need to account for 30 percent of all vehicles on the road, while the 53 percent scenario would require that figure to rise to 34 percent. But to reach the 61 or 65 percent goals, that share must increase to over 35 percent.

To support this transition, the government is considering restrictions on the sale of gas-powered cars beginning in 2035 and plans to introduce new incentives, such as tax benefits on auto and corporate taxes for zero-emissions vehicles.

“We would need to see the majority of new cars sold being zero-emissions vehicles under the 61 and 65 percent reduction scenarios,” said Choi Min-ji, president of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center. “This is why it may be necessary to examine new car sale regulations as the EU has done.”

Electric cars stand at Pyeongtaek Port in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 24. [YONHAP]

Environment Minister Kim Sung-hwan signaled a similar direction during a separate forum on Friday.

“We need to phase out diesel vehicles at double the current pace,” Kim said. “It may be necessary to decide on ending production of gas-powered cars around 2035 or 2040.”

The ministry is considering these stronger measures because transportation remains one of the country’s slowest sectors in reducing emissions. From 2018 to 2024, emissions from the transport sector fell only 1.3 percent — from 98.8 million tons to 97.5 million tons — despite government efforts.

Officials attributed the sluggish progress to limited consumer demand for electric and hydrogen vehicles due to persistent safety concerns, subsidy cuts and stalled market growth. Although the government aims to have 4.5 million zero-emissions vehicles on the road by 2030, only about 850,000 have been deployed so far.

“Carbon emissions from gasoline and diesel vehicles are some of the most visible and pressing sources,” Kim said in his opening remarks on Wednesday. “Without transforming this sector, it will be difficult to achieve decarbonization — and that’s not just Korea’s view, but a global one."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHAE HYE-SEON, JUNG JONG-HOON [[email protected]]