▷ The 9th Korean-Danish Green Growth Alliance meeting will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark 

▷ The meeting is expected to become a momentum for greenhouse gases reduction in the Asia-Pacific, the region accounting for half of global greenhouse gas emissions, and for the preparations to implement the Paris Agreement

▷ Participants from the governments, public organizations, and private companies of both countries will discuss the transition to a circular economy

The Ministry of Environment (Minister Cho Myung-rae) announced that the government will send a delegation to the 9th Korean-Danish Green Growth Alliance meeting to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 13th.

Korean-Danish Green Growth Alliance was established in 2011 to reinforce the cooperation between the two countries for green growth, including the efficient use of resources, the transition to a sustainable economy, and the development of green technologies. Since then, the two countries have been taking turns each year to hold annual ministerial meetings. 

The theme of this year's meeting is a Circular Economy. As the chief delegate, Minister Cho will lead the delegation, consisting of Yeom Tae-young, Mayor of Suwon, Nam Kwang-hee, President of Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute, and representatives from private enterprises.

The Environment Minister will participate in the meeting on his way back from the UN Climate Change Conference COP 25, which is being held for 13 days, starting from December 2nd.

The delegation will discuss the paths toward cooperation in achieving a circular economy, while following the schedules, including round table meetings, the ministerial meeting, and on-site visits. 

At the round table meetings, presentations and discussions will take place by the participants representing public and private sectors under the themes of low carbon/resources circulation cities, green procurement, resources circulation for manufactured products, and exemplary cases of partnerships for circular economy projects.

Minister Cho will meet Lea Wermelin, the Environment Minister of Denmark, to discuss ways to cooperate for a circular economy and request assistance for the 2nd Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit to be held in Korea in June 2020.

For two days from December 12th, to study the examples of Denmark's environmental policies, the delegate will visit State of Green, the export window for environmental policies and technologies of Denmark, and Biofos and Amager Bakke, eco-friendly waste-to-energy plants.

"The linear economy involving production, consumption, and disposal is no longer sustainable. To resolve the problems of resource depletion and environmental pollution, we must convert the structure of our economy to a circular economy that can recycle used resources as much as we can. Korea, especially, should choose this path, because we are importing most of the natural resources we use," stated Minister Cho.

"We hope to gain insight for accelerating our transition to a circular economy, from the in-depth discussions to be held between the governments, public organizations, and private enterprises of both countries."