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The South Korean government on Thursday unveiled its proposal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent by 2035 from the 2018 level.In a public hearing, the government unveiled two proposals for the nationally determined contribution (NDC) by 2035, one of which will be submitted to the United Nations, according to (Yonhap) news agency.The first option would require the country to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum 50 percent and a maximum 60 percent, while the second option calls for a slightly more ambitious goal of reducing emissions by a minimum 53 percent and a maximum 60 percent by the target year, according to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.In 2018, South Korea's greenhouse gas emissions reached 742.3 million tons. To decrease emissions by 50 percent from the 2018 level, the country would have to only emit 371.2 million tons in 2035.Last year, Korea's greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 691.6 million tons, far above the minimum target for 2035.To achieve the 2035 target, the government said it will work to expand the use of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, while establishing a nationwide next-generation power grid.The government plans to provide emission reduction incentives to private companies to help them manufacture low-carbon products and install emission reduction facilities.Seoul submitted its nationally determined contribution (NDC) for 2030 to the UN in 2021, vowing to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from the 2018 level.

The National Museum of Korea will open a new permanent exhibition dedicated to Islamic history and culture next month, offering visitors a glimpse into one of the world’s most influential civilisations. In collaboration with the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar, the Islamic gallery will open Nov 22 on the third floor of the museum’s World Art Gallery. This marks the first time the museum has established a permanent space devoted to Islamic culture.

South Korea's EnergyX, a global leader in end-to-end energy optimisation for buildings and infrastructure, has relocated its global command centre to Qatar as it plans to shift the international headquarters here.The company, which already has made Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) its home, is planning a robotic smart-factory in Qatar as well as a high profile plus-energy building in Qatar that achieves multiple top-tier certifications, as it aims to make the country the global hub from where it invents, manufactures, integrates, and manages its global fleet.An announcement in this regard was made at the Korea-Qatar AI (Artificial Intelligence) Forum hosted by the Korean Embassy in Qatar, KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency), and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Qatar.The move formalises a re-architecture of the business with EnergyX consolidating command, engineering, and production into a single hub designed to compress product cycles and co-ordinate deployments from Doha to Asia, Europe, and beyond."Qatar isn’t a testing ground; it’s the centre of operations from which EnergyX will steer the next era of AI or artificial intelligence-defined, net-positive infrastructure," said founder and chief executive officer Sean Park, who along with core command team, relocated to Doha.The Middle East and North Africa chief executive officer and Global Chief Strategy Officer, Jean-Jacques Dandrieux has been based in Doha for the past two years.On the proposed smart robotic factory in Qatar; Park said a DFMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly)-enabled line with autonomous handling and tightly instrumented quality gates will scale in deliberate phases, prioritising reliability and repeatability over headline throughput."The company’s establishment under the QFC and its ongoing engagement with national stakeholders provide the operating clarity needed to relocate the headquarters and centralise integrations, manufacturing, and service management, he said.By putting Qatar at the centre of its worldwide operations, systems integrations, manufacturing, and R&D; he said it will expand local hiring, deepen collaborations with universities and research institutes, and broaden its intellectual-property portfolio from Doha — positioning Qatar as the origin point for technologies that enable energy-sovereign buildings and districts worldwide."Qatar’s RDI agenda aligns with our deep-tech mandate: an R&D-led programme in AI-powered energy optimisation, geospatial analytics, and robotics-enabled, free-form DFMA manufacturing — so invention, prototyping, and production run on one clock in one place," according to Park.Highlighting that Qatar enables EnergyX to co-locate AI, software, hardware engineering, and manufacturing under a single command structure; he said that removes handoffs and lets the company co-ordinate global rollouts, reliability, and product evolution from a single operating rhythm.The Qatar base is structured to manufacture custom energy systems and ship them globally — with planned logistics via air and sea — and to manage worldwide deployments of EnergyX Zero from a single command centre, according to him.EnergyX will build high-skill teams and collaborate with government, leading Qatari business groups, universities, and research institutes to accelerate technology transfer, specialised training, and workforce development tied directly to the factory and research centre, according to Park.

Electric vehicle (EV) sales in South Korea soared nearly 50% year-on-year during the first eight months of 2025, fueled by the introduction of new models.According to data released by the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association, a total of 142,456 EVs were sold between January and August, a sharp increase from 95,988 units during the same period last year.Electric vehicles made up 12.7% of all new car registrations, up from 8.9% a year earlier a rise of 3.8 percentage points.Domestic manufacturers led the charge, with sales of locally produced EVs climbing 48.2% to 86,777 units, accounting for 60.9% of the total EV market.Imported EVs also posted strong growth, with sales jumping 48.6% to 55,679 units. Notably, over 42,000 of those imported vehicles were made in China, underscoring the growing influence of Chinese automakers in the South Korean market.