A Devil's Bargain Cripples Korea's Energy Security
South Korea is one of the biggest consumers of coal per capita.
Photographer: Bloomberg
In the 2025 film KPop Demon Hunters, a slick South Korean boy band acts as cover for a diabolical plot to feed humanity to a ravenous, fiery, subterranean monster. Believe it or not, that’s a decent way of thinking about its energy policy.
There’s been lots of reasons for fans of the energy transition to idolize the country of late. President Lee Jae Myung was one of the first world leaders to name the Iran war as a reason to accelerate the switch to clean power. “Relying on fossil energy is extremely dangerous for the future,” he said during a visit to Jeju island, an aspiring wind and solar hub. “All energy sources must be rapidly transitioned to renewable energy.”