Minister Yoo Young-sook of the Ministry of Environment (MOE) said his ministry has decided to implement policies tailored to meet the interests of all and to get closer to the people, and it plans to spread the achievements of the green growth paradigm to all segments of society.

In her New Year message, Minister Yoo said, "First, we will strengthen environmental policies to the extent people can feel and recognize. Building an environment that is safe from harmful substances is the foremost task. "The ministry plans to expand environment and health services tailored to meet the needs of sensitive strata," said Minister Yoo, adding that it will step up safety management against substances considered harmful to children while striving to manage harmful substances in indoor environments and prevent the occurrence of atopy and other environment-related diseases.

"Second, we will take the lead in making the Republic of Korea a green power in coping with climate change." The minister said recent figures show that Korea ranked ninth in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, Korea sees its greenhouse gas emissions rising at a faster pace than its economic development rate, so the nation needs to proactively make efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To this end, the MOE plans to put into practice greenhouse gas emission reduction steps in industry, the public sector, living spaces, and automobile categories during 2012. 

Korea's responses to climate change will result in the outcome of green growth. The MOE will strive to advance the development of environmental technology to the standards of advanced countries by supporting 1.5 trillion won over the next 10 years. The ministry aims to post 5 trillion in exports related to the environment industry during 2012 by fostering the environment industry and supporting overseas market exploration activities. "Lastly, we will make efforts to enhance the value of the national territory and ecosystem," she said.   nw