An environmental activist speaks during a press conference on the effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions as part of the climate strike in Seoul, South Korea, Sept 24, 2021. (PHOTO / AP)

SEOUL - South Korea on Tuesday decided to cut its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for the industrial sector though it maintained the overall reduction target by 2030.

The Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth said it will speed up the transition to clean energy by lowering coal power generation and raising the output of nuclear power plants and renewable energy

The industrial sector was required to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 11.4 percent from the 2018 levels by 2030, the Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth said in a statement.

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It was lower than the reduction target of 14.5 percent unveiled in 2021 under the previous government.

The downward revision was attributed to domestic factors such as the supply and demand of raw materials and technology prospects.

The presidential commission maintained its overall emissions reduction target of 40 percent compared to the 2018 levels by 2030.

Instead, the commission decided to reduce the emissions in the renewable energy sector by 45.9 percent compared to the 2018 levels by 2030, up from the previous target of 44.4 percent.

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The commission said it will speed up the transition to clean energy by lowering coal power generation and raising the output of nuclear power plants and renewable energy.