Sejong, June 03 - The Ministry of Environment (ME, Minister Han Wha-jin) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Lee Chang-yang) disclosed figures for purchasing emission-free vehicles in the public sector in 2021 and plans for 2022. According to the Clean Air Conservation Act and the Act on the Promotion of Development and Distribution of Environment-friendly Automobiles, government agencies, local governments, and public institutions are obliged to purchase or rent a certain percentage of low- or zero-emission vehicles. The Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy are jointly operating mandatory purchase/rental schemes for low- and zero-emission vehicles. The two ministries have also opened the annual figures for the purchase/rental of such vehicles. 

According to the government's survey, 609 target institutions purchased or rented a total of 7,458 new vehicles, with 5,504 (73.8%) being zero-emission vehicles. It represented a nearly threefold increase in just one year compared to 1,806 vehicles in 2020. Among the 7,458 new vehicles, low-emission vehicles, including zero-emission vehicles (EVs and hydrogen vehicles), took up 6,927, or more than 90%-a 14.3% increase from 6,060 in 2020. One hundred twenty institutions are running EVs or hydrogen vehicles for their heads of institutions, and the number climbed by more than threefold from thirty-nine institutions in 2020. As for each institution, 510 target institutions out of 609 reached the mandatory rate of low- or zero-emission vehicles, increasing 20.9% compared to 422 institutions in 2020. The achievement rate also significantly improved from 69.3% (422/609) to 83.7% (510/609).

According to the Clean Air Conservation Act, the Ministry of Environment will charge a fine of not exceeding KRW 3 million to seventy-four local governments and public institutions among ninety-nine institutions that fail to achieve the mandatory rate. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Environment about vehicle purchase/rental plans of 769 target institutions revealed that they would purchase or rent a total of 6,538 vehicles this year. Among them, low-emission vehicles account for 96.2% (6,290) and zero-emission vehicles for 84.2% (5,510), indicating that the entire public sector is actively participating in the obligatory purchase/rental scheme. 

ME and MOTIE intend to request those fifty-five institutions that submitted plans that did not meet the mandatory rate to supplement their plans. The two ministries will check whether those fifty-five institutions will reach the goal or not. In addition, the two ministries will consider raising the mandatory rate of purchasing EVs and hydrogen vehicles, which is currently 80%, aimed at accelerating the transition to EVs and hydrogen vehicles in the public sector. They plan to initiate the amendment of the Enforcement Rules of the Clean Air Conservation Act and the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Promotion of Development and Distribution of Environment-friendly Motor Vehicles within the second half of this year. 

Park Yeon-jae, Director-General of Air Quality Policy Bureau, said, "Our aggressive actions for pushing the obligatory purchase/rental scheme and encouraging the participation of relevant institutions have significantly improved their performance in 2021. We will also accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles in the private sector through the government's low-emission vehicles distribution goal and the 100% transition to zero-emission vehicles campaign by 2030."

Contact: KWON Jae-hyun, Deputy Director

Air Quality Future Strategy Division / +82-(0)44-201-6881 

Foreign Media Contact: CHUN Minjo

+82-(0)44-201-6055 / rachelmchun@korea.kr